The Pac-12 will be back in the football business in November, the conference announced Thursday.

Pac-12 teams will play a seven-game, conference-only season that will include a championship game on Dec. 18 at the home stadium of the divisional champion with the best record. No fans will be permitted through the course of the season.

The plan was hammered out in a meeting of Pac-12 presidents and chancellors on Thursday. It caps a tumultuous last six weeks as the conference twisted and turned while trying to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

The final schedule hasn’t been finalized. But teams will play the other teams in their division, and one crossover game. The seventh game will be played on Dec. 18 or Dec. 19 as part of a championship weekend.

University of Oregon president Michael Schill is the chair of the Pac-12 CEO group. Schill said on a webinar with reporters the Pac-12 process has been deliberate for a reason and evolved as circumstances changed.

“One thing that didn’t change was our commitment to the health and safety of our students,” Schill said. “That’s always been paramount. It is absolutely a value of the Pac-12. What ended up happening, was over time our medical advisory group became much comfortable with our plans to resume.”

Schill said that should coronavirus cases rise precipitously, the Pac-12 wouldn’t hesitate again to shut down the season.

The Pac-12 first announced on Aug. 11 it would not play football this fall because of lingering medical questions about COVID-19.

Three weeks later, the conference announced a deal with Quidel Corporation that would allow schools to test daily for the virus and get rapid results. That put a fall football season back into the realm of possibility.

Dr. Doug Aukerman of Oregon State, who heads up the conference’s medical advisory group, said the conference will continue to be measured.

“Our goal is to not have a bunch of student-athletes get infected with COVID,” he said. “That is why the testing is really important.

“I remind everybody that we are at a starting point again. We need to be diligent and we need to continue to monitor COVID, the spread of COVID and be willing to keep apprised of this. … It’s not suddenly all-on, without continued monitoring.”

Last week, the Pac-12 announced the presidents and chancellors would meet Thursday and come to a final decision. Schill said the decision to return for seven games beginning on the weekend of Nov. 6 through Nov. 7 was unanimous.

Schill said the athletes’ desire to play helped him make up his mind.

“They were so desirous of going back to practice and play,” he said. “It’s something they dream of, something they want for their future. This is something they have been deprived of. COVID-19 has taken so much away from these students, I didn’t want to take this away from them.”

By going ahead, the Pac-12 becomes the fifth Power Five conference to play this fall. The ACC, Big 12 and SEC all previously announced plans to play in 2020, although each has different coronavirus plans and protocols. ACC and Big 12 teams have been playing. The SEC is set to begin this week.

The Big Ten initially decided not to play this fall, but reversed itself last week after the conference also was able to secure the ability to rapid test daily. The Big Ten will resume on Oct. 24.

The Pac-12 has had some issues other conferences did not, among them more restrictive public health provisions in California and Oregon, and a stubborn and devastating wildfire problem.

California and Oregon have eased restrictions on the ability of teams to practice and play, which helped pave the way for Thursday’s decision.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said he believes playing only seven games won’t be a detriment for the Pac-12 when the College Football Playoff committee sits down to determine the four playoff teams.

“That’s why we have a commission of 13 very diverse experts that will weigh it all up,” Scott said in reference to the committee. “Clearly stated, there is no minimum number of games.”

Men’s and women’s basketball may resume on Nov. 25 with the approval of the schools’ local health authorities.