Quidel Corporation is partnering with the Pac-12 to provide daily tests for student-athletes. What does that mean for the conference's return to play?

Pac-12 sports may be back sooner than we thought.

The conference announced a partnership Thursday with Quidel Corporation, a leader in testing for COVID-19. Quidel will provide every Pac-12 university with the tools necessary to begin daily tests for all student-athletes by the end of the month, according to Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott.

These tests open the door for a potential early return to sports. The conference announced in early August that all athletic competitions would be suspended until at least Jan. 1, 2021. One reason for the decision, according to Scott during his conference with the media, was the conference’s belief that daily testing would not be available until November at the earliest.

The tests that Quidel is providing to the Pac-12 will give results within 15 minutes, making it easier to confirm that all student-athletes allowed to participate in team activities do not have the virus. The tests will also notify student-athletes of their COVID-19 positive status before they become infectious, which will further decrease the risk of transmission to others.

The availability and quick turnaround time for the tests would likely allow more student-athletes to compete, even if their program experiences an outbreak. Currently, in conferences that are competing in fall sports, any student-athletes who come in contact with a contagious individual are generally required to quarantine away from their team. The ability to rapidly test those who have encountered an infected person could allow those who test negative despite the contact to continue to participate.

Quidel will use the testing data gathered by Pac-12 athletics programs to research the disease and “learn more about the behavior of the virus in asymptomatic cases,” according to a conference press release. That research will be used to help prevent the spread and mitigate damage to other communities.

Quidel has partnered with other NCAA programs but this is their first partnership with a collegiate conference. Only Pac-12 schools are being provided access to daily tests.

Scott was non-committal when asked whether the rapid testing will allow the Pac-12 to compete again in 2020, but he wouldn’t rule out the possibility. The testing technology is coming to schools eight weeks prior than previously expected but other hurdles remain, including those created by state and local regulations in some regions that would prohibit the gatherings necessary for effective football practices.