Pac-12 says no delay for Washington State-Cal despite air quality concerns

The wildfires in Northern California are serious business. Over 2,000 homes and business have reportedly been directly affected by the fires, and as of Friday morning there are over 30 people dead.

There’s obvious concern about air quality in the entire Bay Area due to smoke. The actual fires are about an hour north of the Bay, but the notorious wind in the area is carrying dangerous levels of smoke through the air.

This tweet from ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura shows the situation.

That AQI number is also up from Thursday, when it was 155 (and also not healthy).

ESPN’s Molly McGrath cut a report from the top of Cal’s stadium that also detailed the seriousness of the issue.

In the video, McGrath said that Cal is treating the situation similar to a lightning delay because with winds variable, conditions can change on a dime. If things are hovering around that 200 mark, it seems like the teams will be pulled off the field at that time until conditions are OK again. It’s not a great solution, and it’s bound to make for a very late evening for everyone involved.

But Cal officials don’t want to move the game to later in the weekend, so here’s hoping that things clear up. The teams don’t share a bye week either, so it’ll be tough to get this game in at a later date if it comes to that. A statement from the school says that AQI numbers tend to fall in the evening. Hours before the game, the Pac-12 released statement saying game on.

Either way, the situation is going to be tough for players.

“As I’m standing here delivering this report I’m a little short of breath, and there are ashes falling from the sky. That is definitely going to be a factor in this game.”