Even if college sports are played this fall, many programs and athletes will not get a chance to participate in NCAA championship events in their respective sports.
The Presidents Councils of Division II and Division III both voted Wednesday to cancel fall championships for 2020, as holding the events as planned or postponing seasons was "deemed not feasible" according to press releases.
The D-III Presidents Council announced its decision just before 1 p.m., and the D-II decision followed a few hours later. The move will cancel the championship events for Lincoln University and other Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association members at the D-II level, and Westminister at the D-III level, but does not preclude them from playing regular seasons or conference championship events.
"Sad day for NCAA D-II Fall Sports and the talented coaches and student-athletes in the MIAA," MIAA commissioner Mike Racy tweeted Wednesday afternoon. "We will have a formal statement in the next few days after our leadership meets to discuss today's announcement by the NCAA (Board of Governors) to create national testing requirements in all 3 divisions."
The NCAA Board of Governors previously directed each division to make its own decision on fall sports championships, and said no postseason events would be held in a sport if 50 percent or more of the universities fielding teams in that sport opted out of the 2020 season.
Both the D-II and D-III releases cited finances as primary reasons for canceling fall championships, as well as the health and safety challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.
"With the Board of Governors' directives, the Division II Presidents Council determined that it was not feasible to hold fall championships as planned or to postpone them to the spring while prioritizing the health and well-being of student-athletes," the D-II Presidents Council said in a press release.
Sandra Jordan, chancellor of South Carolina-Aiken and chair of the D-II Presidents Council, said in the statement, "After reviewing and discussing the Board of Governors' directives, the Division II Presidents Council made the difficult decision that holding fall championships in any capacity was not a viable or fiscally responsible option for Division II. This decision was discussed very thoroughly, and I assure you, it was not made lightly."
III
Division I leadership has not made a decision on fall championship events for the NCAA's highest level of competition.
The Big Ten Conference released its football schedule Wednesday morning, with a 10-game, conference-only regular season beginning Sept. 3, with Illinois hosting Ohio State. Each team will have two bye weeks during the shortened regular season, and the season will end Nov. 21, with the Big Ten Championship to be played Dec. 5.
The Atlantic Coast Conference, which will play 11 games total, 10 against conference opponents without divisions beginning Sept. 7, is set to announce its weekly schedule this morning.
The Southeastern, Big 12 and Pac-12 Conferences have not yet announced weekly schedules for football this fall.