• Loading stock data...
Friday, May 30, 2025

What Pac-12’s New Rapid COVID-19 Tests Mean for Sports Return

  • A new partnership between the Pac-12 and Quidel Corporation will give Pac-12 schools access to daily rapid COVID-19 testing by the end of September.
  • Conference officials couldn’t guarantee sports would return before Jan. 1, but said they can “revisit” their earlier decision to postpone for the entire fall season.
pac-12-new-rapid-covid-19-tests
Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard via USA TODAY NETWORK

The Pac-12 has entered a partnership with Quidel Corporation, a medical diagnostic company, to supply rapid, daily COVID-19 tests to Pac-12 athletes. It will also conduct a study using data gathered from testing, the conference announced on Sept. 3.

But while Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott called the acquisition of these new tests a “game changer,” he still couldn’t provide a concrete response regarding a new, earlier date for Pac-12 schools to return to play during a conference call with reporters.

In August, the Pac-12 announced it was postponing all athletic competition to Jan. 1, 2021. 

Scott discussed other factors that remain concerns, from state mandates to long-term health risks of COVID-19. 

Given that Scott said he has frequent phone calls with Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, the development may also provide insight into what they — along with other conferences who have halted athletics — might need to feel comfortable sending athletes back to action.

In May, Quidel became the first company to receive FDA approval for rapid antigen tests, which are considered quicker and cheaper than the traditional PCR tests which many college departments and labs use. They’re also considered less accurate. 

The California-based company also partners with “several” individual athletic departments whose athletes are currently playing this fall, Quidel CEO Doug Bryant said. But Bryant couldn’t disclose which programs he was working with, and said that the Pac-12 schools are so far the only ones that will receive rapid tests from his facility. Some Sun Belt schools have received quick tests from a company called Abbott, according to a Sports Illustrated report

The good news is that Pac-12’s new testing capabilities will allow athletic departments to immediately receive results every day regarding who is sick, which is currently a “gap” that laboratory testing can’t close, said Dr. Doug Aukerman, athletic director of sports medicine at Oregon State. 

Scott explained that previously, if an athlete tested positive, contact tracing would likely suggest that others who came into contact with that athlete must quarantine, which could in some cases wipe out the entirety of smaller roster teams, like basketball. But now, that risk will be eliminated.

“Having access to testing eight weeks earlier than we originally anticipated … does allow us to revisit some of our decisions,” Scott said. The decision to halt all athletics competition until Jan. 1, for example, was made when university presidents believed daily rapid testing wouldn’t be available until November. The conference cited lack of adequate testing capabilities in their original memo explaining why they had decided to postpone.

Now, with testing capabilities available to all Pac-12 universities by October, the league will revisit the possibility of beginning other sports in the fall. 

When the Pac-12 begins basketball in particular will depend on a couple different factors. The date the NCAA decides to begin the season will impact the Pac-12’s ability to participate, Scott said, as the NCAA is currently deliberating on possibly postponing the basketball non-conference start date and plans to announce its decision sometime in September. 

Scott also emphasized that in order to be comfortable scheduling non-conference games, the other conferences would have to adhere to the same testing and safety standards as the Pac-12. 

Whilethe conference will consider modified schedules that might minimize travel, the Pac-12 likely won’t participate in the rumored college basketball bubbles the NCAA is planning. 

“The idea of student athletes being in a bubble doesn’t resonate well with our university leaders.” Scott said. “We don’t think it would be appropriate.”

NCAA Moves to Trademark ‘Battle in the Bubble’

NCAA Moves to Trademark ‘Battle in the Bubble’

The NCAA announced Aug. 17 that it expects a decision on the…
August 31, 2020

Other concerns still remain regarding other sports, with football in particular. State mandates play a role in when the Pac-12 will be allowed to resume play, as not all programs are cleared by their states to play, Scott said. However, one reporter on the call noted that NFL teams in California — where many Pac-12 schools are located — have clearance to play.

And despite the myocarditis snafu on Sept. 3, in which a health official’s statement that 30-35% of Big Ten athletes who had contracted COVID-19 also showed signs of myocarditis turned out to be false, the unknowns surrounding the cardiac heart inflammation continue to concern the Pac-12, said Dr. Kimberly Harmon, the section head of sports medicine for the University of Washington. Other long-term health risks also concern the conference beyond myocarditis.

In all, no one provided a straight answer regarding whether university presidents will vote to start basketball or football before Jan. 1. But all officials emphasized that the testing partnership is a key piece to that puzzle. “I think it’s going to help us find our way back to sports,” Aukerman said.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

MSG Tickets for Potential Pacers-Knicks Game 7 Start at $1,100

The current get-in price for a potential Game 7 is $1,099.

Chiefs, Royals Stadium Plans Hit Political Wall As Both Parties Say No

Both Republicans and Democrats in Missouri oppose public funding for stadiums.
Zion Williamson
breaking

Zion Williamson Accused of Rape and Abuse in Lawsuit

The woman says their relationship began when he was at Duke in 2018.

Featured Today

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
May 25, 2025

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 24, 2025

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.
May 24, 2025

Indiana Is the Center of the Basketball Universe—Thanks to Both Pro Teams

The Fever and Pacers are thriving at the same time.
Mar 28, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) rebounds over Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) and Mississippi Rebels guard Matthew Murrell (11) in the second half of a South Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at State Farm Arena.

SEC Increases Court Storming Fine to $500K—With Caveat

The SEC used to fine schools $500,000 as a third-time offense.
May 29, 2025

Former Seton Hall Baseball Player Sues Over Sexualized Hazing

The student says the coach knew about the hazing and failed to act.
May 29, 2025

Brett Yormark: Big 12 Puts Private Equity and Naming Rights on Pause

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is shifting his conference’s strategy.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
May 29, 2025

Brian Kelly Pushes for SEC–Big Ten Alliance. Would It Widen the Gap?

A deal, if completed, would further strengthen college football’s two titans.
Mar 16, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) drives to the basket as Memphis Tigers forward Nicholas Jourdain (2) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena.
May 28, 2025

Prospects Picking College Over NBA Draft at Record Rate

The 2025 NBA draft has its lowest number of early entrants since 2015.
Tennessee pitcher Brayden Krenzel (34) pitches during a NCAA baseball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on May 11, 2025.
May 27, 2025

SEC Stranglehold on College Baseball Continues

SEC schools will host eight of the 16 regionals set to start this weekend.
May 22, 2025

Can Golf Emulate the College World Series Model?

Carlsbad, Calif., is hosting the event through 2028.