College football programs, at least for now, are playing by different rules.
The Power 5 conferences are allowing their schools to follow new CDC guidelines with a shorter quarantine time for those in contact-tracing protocol, conference leaders tell Sports Illustrated.
Medical advisory groups in the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12 have adopted or plan to adopt the new guidelines this week, but with a caveat that is leaving the playing field uneven: A school’s local health department has to have adopted the new guidelines. Some state and local health departments have done so while others have not yet made the move—another frustrating hurdle for programs attempting to complete a football season and begin a basketball season, all amid a pandemic.