Mountain West Conference approves fall football

The University of Hawaii football team will play games this year after all.

Forty-five days after announcing the postponement of the 2020 season, the Mountain West Conference’s Board of Directors — comprised of the presidents of the 12 football-playing schools — approved Thursday’s measure to launch a season beginning on Oct. 24.

“I am elated for our players, our staff and our fans for the opportunity to compete and play the 2020 football season,” UH coach Todd Graham wrote in a statement. “I am extremely proud and honored to lead these fine men. I can’t wait to compete on the field with them.”

The decision calls for each team to play eight games against league opponents. It also appears to allow for Air Force to keep its commitment to nonconference games against Navy and Army West Point. MW Commissioner Craig Thompson is expected to provide details during this morning’s news conference.

In announcing the decision, the league cautioned that the final go-ahead needed approval from “state, county and local officials.”

“The Mountain West leadership has been working hard to get our young men back on the field in a safe manner,” UH athletic director David Matlin wrote in a statement. “The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and community has been our top priority. There are more challenges ahead, but creating a safe path for our Warriors to return to the gridiron is a big step forward. We will continue to be diligent in our efforts and work with government agencies to pursue approvals.”

Among the NCAA’s return-to-play guidelines is thrice-weekly testing for the coronavirus. Schools are looking into procuring rapid testing that would produce results within hours instead of days. The testing would cover people inside a team’s so-called “bubble,” such as players, coaches, staff, trainers and equipment personnel.

The Warriors also should benefit from the state’s pre-travel testing program, which goes into effect on Oct. 15. Trans-Pacific travelers can bypass the state’s 14-day quarantine if they can produce a valid negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of their travel.

The Warriors have worked to navigate the restrictions related to the pandemic. In March, two months after Todd Graham was hired as UH head coach, the pandemic led to the cancellation of the Warriors’ spring training — 15 practices, including the annual spring game — and moved classes to on-line instruction.

The Warriors were permitted to participate in conditioning drills and walk-through sessions in July. Players wore masks and maintained social-distancing protocol during meetings. The Warriors did not use the locker room during that period.

In late July, the Warriors were set to open training camp, which would involve padded practices. But the start of camp was delayed three times for a variety of reasons, the final blow coming with the league’s decision to postpone the season.

This past week, as part of the NCAA’s “transition period,” the Warriors were permitted conditioning drills. With Thursday’s ruling, it appears the Warriors might begin practicing next week.

Despite not having a full practice, the Warriors are in a better situation than some of their MW counterparts. Fresno State has not practiced since the end of the 2019 season. What’s more, FS students have not been on campus since March. Unlike other MW teams, the Bulldogs did not participate in on-campus organized workouts in July, according to a Fresno Bee report.