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Decision by Big Ten to play football this fall might be catalyst for Pac-12 doing the same

In the world of major college football, the Pac-12 appears to be on its own island.

For now.

Wednesday's much-anticipated decision by the Big Ten to reverse course and start its football season on Oct. 24 left the Pac-12 as the only Power 5 conference with no current plan to return to the field this calendar year.

The Big Ten's decision put pressure on the Pac-12 to join the other major conferences, and developments later on Wednesday seemed to indicate that playing football in 2020 might still be a possibility.

At issue is the status in California and Oregon, home to half of the Pac-12 and states where there have been public health restrictions keeping sports teams from returning to the practice field.