With college football schedules across the country in flux in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SEC announced Thursday afternoon that it has moved to a 10-game, conference-only schedule for the 2020 season. The SEC is likewise pushing the start of its season to Saturday, Sept. 26, what was initially arranged to be Week 4 of the 2020 campaign.
With the shift of the start of its season to Sept. 26, the SEC Championship Game will be pressed back 2 weeks to Saturday, Dec. 19. This produces flexibility among groups with two chances for makeup games as the changed schedule will include a midseason bye week for each school and an open date for all programs on Dec. 12, one week before the title video game.
It is unknown at this time how the SEC will submit the additional two games of its conference-only schedule as the revised set of video games will be announced by the league at a later date. SEC members traditionally play eight conference video games each season: 6 inside their respective departments, one long-term cross-division opponent and one rotational cross-division challenger.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey discussed the conferences choice in a release:
The 14 SEC presidents met virtually on Thursday to come to this scheduling decision one day after the leagues athletic directors proposed sticking with a conference-only design.
The SEC joins the Big Ten and Pac-12 by deciding to play a conference-only schedule in 2020. The ACC revealed Wednesday that it will play an 11-game schedule with 10 intraleague contests and one nonconference video game.
It is unknown at this time how the SECs choice might affect the ACCs scheduling strategies considering 4 essential nonconference competition video games (Florida-Florida State, Clemson-South Carolina, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Kentucky-Louisville) will be lost by the SECs relocation. Auburn-North Carolina and Arkansas-Notre Dame were other SEC-ACC video games arranged this season. (The Fighting Irish are running as a full-fledged ACC member in 2020.).
Other marquee nonconference video games featuring SEC groups that will be lost this season consist of LSU-Texas and Tennessee-Oklahoma. (Alabama-USC was formerly canceled due to the Pac-12s scheduling announcement.) The Big 12 has not yet revealed any firm prepares for its 2020 schedules, though losing those games might affect its decision-making procedure.
” This new strategy for a football schedule is consistent with the academic goals of our universities to permit for the safe and organized return to campus of their student populations and to supply a healthy knowing environment throughout these unique situations presented by the COVID-19 infection. …
” We believe these schedule adjustments changes use best opportunity to complete finish full complete by giving providing the ability to adapt to the fluid nature of the virus infection the flexibility versatility adjust change as necessary needed disruptions occur.
…
” We believe these schedule adjustments changes use best opportunity chance complete a full season by giving us the ability to adapt adjust the fluid nature of the flexibility infection the virus versatility adjust schedules as necessary required disruptions interruptionsTake place Auburn-North Carolina and Arkansas-Notre Dame were other SEC-ACC games arranged this season. The Big 12 has not yet revealed any firm prepares for its 2020 schedules, though losing those video games may affect its decision-making procedure.
