BOWLING GREEN — The Mid-American Conference is considering a February resumption for its football season, according to league sources.
Under the proposal — which has not yet been recommended to the league nor received approval from the 12 presidents of full-member MAC schools — football teams would play an eight-game schedule beginning Feb. 20.
Further, the league could continue to play some of its games on weeknights to avoid conflicting with the NCAA men's basketball tournament, which is scheduled to begin its first round March 18.
The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
No decision has been made as subcommittees created by the conference continue to discuss protocols and timelines regarding the MAC's return-to-play plans for all fall sports, which the league postponed Aug. 8 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The MAC also has not yet made a distinction on winter sports — such as basketball and swimming — that traditionally begin their seasons during the fall semester.
In any event, the league aims to have a concrete plan on all sports in 2021 in November or December.
According to sources familiar with discussions, who also requested anonymity, ESPN remains a key player in the talks to resume football during the 2020-21 school year.
The MAC and ESPN have a primary agreement to televise the league's football games, a partnership that has achieved a level of national popularity for playing on weeknights, particularly during the second half of the traditional fall season.
Even before the MAC postponed its season — becoming the first Bowl Subdivision conference to do so — the network expressed its interest in televising MAC football games during the spring semester.
The television agreement typically distributes roughly $1 million per year to each of the 12 MAC schools.
Six of the 10 FBS conferences stuck with fall football seasons, while the Big Ten, Pac-12, and Mountain West chose to postpone their seasons after the MAC.
The MAC typically plays eight league games per year in football, but the scope of the season could change based on how and when the league chooses to return.
At the time of postponing the fall seasons, MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said coronavirus “will have a big determination to say, ‘It's a go’ or ‘It's a no-go.’”
One consideration is a spring season's potential effect on the traditional 2021 season. Asked about playing football in the spring last month, Steinbrecher said players are taking part in team activities during the spring even during normal times.
“They are active during that period of time,” Steinbrecher said. “They'll dig in deep. I won't pre-judge it, but we're going to make our decision based on can we go forward, and can we do so in a way that is responsive to the health and well-being concerns of the student athletes.”
The fall season is scheduled to begin Sept. 4, 2021 for most MAC teams. Bowling Green is scheduled to visit Tennessee on that date, while Toledo has a contract agreement to play host to Norfolk State.
First Published September 15, 2020, 7:45 p.m.
