My how quickly things change. In the span of 24-hours, the possibility of the Ducks playing football in 2020 went from bleak to likely as the Big 10 announced early Wednesday they had reversed their decision not to play leaving the Pac-12 dangling as the only Power Five conference not playing this year.

Soon the Western dominoes began to fall.

In this edition of DSA Roundtable, we see a perfect example of the rapid evolution. The responses were due Thursday morning, and Scott Reed was the first to respond to this week’s Roundtable question, Dale Newton 12 hours later then A.J. Jacobson 12 hours after that.

Check out how answers reflected the changes during that one day window.

Here is my crystal ball (but be forgiving because it is extremely cloudy and covered in dust). Oregon will begin workouts in early October; and those workouts will sort of resemble summer workouts. Season preparations will begin in earnest just before the Thanksgiving break and we will see a shorted season beginning just after the New Year.

What does shortened look like? I think it is likely to include games against all division opponents as well as two games against South division teams. How they select those will be anyone’s guess. I also believe that the Pac-12 will try to hose a Conference Championship Game with the best from each division.

Where is gets just a bit more fuzzy is reaction to the Big 10. The pairing with Quidel for rapid testing appears to offer some promise for the Pac-12. Should the Big 10 decide to return earlier, there is a plan within the Pac-12 to escalate a return-to-play in conjunction and create a season in which there is still a ‘Rose Bowl’ matchup.

That is going to take at least two states approving team practices, travel and games for colleges and potentially a return for all students to make it work. Will it happen? That is difficult to say; but if the university presidents and athletic directors can make a strong case for safety, it is still plausible.

The decision to play rests with the PAC-12 presidents, and thus far they have been the most risk-averse university leaders in the country.

Two things tip the scale towards an expedited return to play. One, the Big Ten is announcing this morning that they will resume games the weekend of October 24. Two, the PAC-12's new testing agreement with San Diego-based Quidel Corporation gives athletic departments in member schools the capability to administer antigen tests almost daily with a turnaround time of one hour, an even higher standard than what the NFL is using with even greater accuracy.

It can reduce infection and transmission rates nearly 100%.

Putting this in place should be enough to convince Governors Kate Brown and Gavin Newsome to lift restrictions on practice and travel.

Expect the PAC-12 to return to play by early November with time for a 7-week season and inclusion in the bowl season.

Even so, a team from this conference isn't likely to make the College Football Playoff. The league rarely produces an undefeated champion, and the Ducks have a tougher route after losing Penei Sewell, Deommodore Lenoir and Thomas Graham.

Wednesday was littered with developments changing the outlook for Pac-12 football this fall. Early in the morning the Big 10 conference announced that it would reverse its course and play a fall schedule, after insisting a month ago the matter would not be revisited.

That left the Pac-12 as the lone Power Five conference sitting out the year.

Then things got interesting.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott issued a statement hours later saying the holdup to playing was that the state authorities in Oregon and California were not allowing it. California Governor Newsom then held a press conference saying yes they were allowing it, under state guidelines. The onerous guidelines, such as only 12 people on the field at a time, would make P5 level game preparation impossible for the four California schools.

Later Wednesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown decided to waive her statewide restrictions on contact sports for Oregon and Oregon State football, but says they need to approve a written plan before they can begin.

In other words, Oregon should be cleared to practice very soon. For California, my bet is Newsom will either waive the state coronavirus guidelines for practices or the teams will practice in an adjacent state to prepare for their seasons.

To summarize the whirlwind, things are happening fast. My crystal ball says the next Oregon football game will be played on November 7th.