Four Power 5 conferences have actually revealed their chosen scheduling designs, as the SEC joined the Big Ten and Pac-12 in going with conference-only video games. The SEC is now intending on playing a 10-game season beginning on Sept. 26. The Big 12 is expected to decide next week. What do all these choices suggest for the college football season? Here are the most important concerns addressed.
What does this mean for ACC-SEC competition video games?
The SECs choice to play only conference video games caught the ACC by surprise, a day after that league announced it would play 10 league enemies plus one nonconference challenger.
Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack, on the ACC subcommittee that took a look at scheduling designs, said the league decided to play one nonconference video game as a nod to the 4 ACC groups with SEC rivals. “Those games are important to Clemson and Florida State and Louisville and Georgia Tech,” he said. “I believe in an environment like this where it might not honestly be straight beneficial to Syracuse, however if you can do things as a cumulative body and group that can benefit schools where it is necessary, Im inclined to try to be a good partner and support that.”
Because the SEC chose to go conference only, Wildhack included that the ACC would not alter its format.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stated the shift to late September will permit schools to reintegrate their entire student bodies on campus amid the brand-new challenges provided by the pandemic.
” This new plan for a football schedule follows the academic objectives of our universities to permit for the safe and orderly return to campus of their trainee populations and to offer a healthy knowing environment throughout these special circumstances presented by the COVID-19 virus,” Sankey stated in a statement. “This brand-new schedule supports the security measures that are being taken by each of our institutions to ensure the health of our campus communities.”
The four ACC-SEC matchups are in-state competitions that suggest a lot to fans of those schools and identify in-state bragging rights for the next 365 days.
” Clemson strongly lobbied the ACC to include an extra non-conference video game for the primary purpose of preserving our long-standing rivalry game with South Carolina,” Clemson advertisement Dan Radakovich stated in a statement. “Were disappointed to hear of the scheduling decision announced by the SEC, as we understand the importance of The Palmetto Bowl to the State of South Carolina. We will work to fill the opening on our schedule right away.”
” Its unfortunate that we will not be playing Clemson this season but that wasnt our choice, it was a league decision,” South Carolina coach Will Muschamp stated. “Thats a video game that is essential to our program, our organization and our state and one that President [Robert] Caslen and Coach [Ray] Tanner pressed difficult to make occur. I eagerly anticipate restoring the rivalry in 2021.”
Clemson and South Carolina have actually played every year considering that 1909, making it the second-longest constant competition in the FBS, behind just Minnesota-Wisconsin, which started playing each other two years previously. Georgia and Georgia Tech, which have actually played 114 times, have actually met in each season given that 1925. Florida and Florida State started playing each other in 1958, and Louisville and Kentucky have played 32 times because the series wasnt bet 70 years between 1924 and 1994.
How will the SEC broaden its schedule from 8 conference games to 10?
One of the most discussed proposals in how to tackle including the 2 conference games this season would be to utilize the turning cross-divisional challengers for the 2021 and 2022 seasons and merely add those two enemies to the existing 2020 eight-game conference slates for each school.
Each SEC school normally plays eight league games, that includes 6 games against all divisional opponents, one video game versus a permanent cross-divisional challenger and one video game versus a rotating cross-divisional challenger. Under this proposal, Alabama, for instance, would include Florida and Vanderbilt from the SECs Eastern Division this season, and Georgia, for example, would add Arkansas and Mississippi State from the SECs Western Division.
1 RelatedOf note, this proposition would also indicate Alabama would deal with both Florida and Georgia throughout the regular season in 2020. Florida would deal with Alabama, Georgia and LSU.
Another proposal that has strong support is for the league to design a ranking system using strength of schedule and add the 2 extra league games based upon that system.
The league athletic directors would still have to approve any scheduling format.
” Im sure its going to be reasonable and equitable,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin stated. “Im positive well be able to come up with something everyone feels excellent about.”
What does this mean for the College Football Playoff?
The College Football Playoff is examining a new schedule for its choice committee conferences, and it will reevaluate its procedures for the 2020 season, CFP executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN on Thursday.
” Since there wont be as numerous nonconference games as typical, certain tools utilized by the committee, such as head-to-head results and results versus common opponents, will have constraints this year,” Hancock said. “Evaluating strength of schedule will likewise be different.
” I dont see the prospective difference in the number of games teams play as a considerable aspect,” he added. “Fact is, the committee has dealt successfully with that almost every season.”
No matter what the season looks like, Hancock states he thinks his committee will be all set.
” The essential mission has actually not changed– that is, rank the very best 4 teams based upon the schedules that the conferences play. And that is why the committee consists of these 13 football experts.”
What does the Big 12 do now?
In the meantime, the Big 12 continues to hope for a 12-game schedule, however the school presidents will look at alternatives throughout their Monday conference. One conference source told ESPN a nine-plus-one design (nine conference video games, one nonconference) has gained substantial support from the athletic directors.
Huge 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told ESPN his athletic directors will present about four or five various scheduling designs for the conference presidents to think about.
” Were going to equip them with all of the information they need to make a decision if that is their dream,” Bowlsby said.
So when does the season actually begin?
Currently, there will be no uniform start date to the college football season. There are five games currently arranged for “Week 0” on Aug. 29, including Missouri State at Oklahoma. The ACC will start the weekend of Sept. 12, while the SEC will begin Sept. 26. The Pac-12 is expected to announce its start date and schedule on Friday. Sources informed ESPN.com that the Pac-12 will choose a 10-game conference schedule set to start Sept. 19. Naturally, this all remains tentative.
Which marquee games does this eliminate from the schedule?
Among the SECs most-anticipated nonconference games, Alabama vs. USC in the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was canceled when the Pac-12 chose to play only conference video games. The Tide were trying to find a possible replacement, but it became a moot point with the SECs vote.
In addition to the traditional rivalry video games, two other ACC-SEC video games– Georgia vs. Virginia and Auburn vs. North Carolina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta– are gone.
Other intriguing games that will not be played: Texas at LSU, Arkansas at Notre Dame, Tennessee at Oklahoma, Missouri at BYU, Vanderbilt at Kansas State and Mississippi State at NC State.
These join a list that currently included Oregon-Ohio State, Oregon-North Dakota State, USC-Notre Dame, Michigan-Washington and a lot more.
What does Nick Saban consider all this?
Thankful you asked. Alabama launched a statement from the head coach that said, in part, “We are pleased to have a strategy in place for the Southeastern Conference this season. We think it is the finest alternative to keep players and staff safe and still preserve the integrity of the season. The security of our team will be our highest priority throughout the season, but we are likewise excited that our gamers will have the chance to play this season and compete.”
Whats next for the SEC and the rest of the Power 5?
Rather than setting a date to take a look at whether the season needs to be pressed back, commissioners, administrators and medical advisory groups will continue to monitor coronavirus break outs and trends across regions as a starting point in identifying whether it is safe to play. There is no question August will be essential for several factors.
Teams will begin physical contact practice next week– a crucial sign on whether it will be safe to play. It is impossible to keep players in a bubble, however attempting to worry the value of following all security procedures is one way they can try to restrict infections. Since if there are infections and spread during the season, games will be put into jeopardy.
What does this mean for the Group of 5?
The Group of 5 has been waiting for the Power 5 conferences to reveal their strategies, so now those conferences have to decide whether they want to go conference-only too, or scramble to fill holes left in the huge bulk of their schedules with other Group of 5 or FCS teams.
UCF, for example, had one video game canceled outright (Florida A&M) and will not have the ability to play both North Carolina (house) and Georgia Tech (away). Since the SEC will not play nonconference games, this unlocks for UCF to keep the Georgia Tech video game however that decision will remain in the hands of the Yellow Jackets.
Four Power 5 conferences have revealed their preferred scheduling designs, as the SEC joined the Big Ten and Pac-12 in going with conference-only games. Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack, on the ACC subcommittee that looked at scheduling models, said the league decided to play one nonconference video game as a nod to the four ACC groups with SEC rivals.” Clemson strongly lobbied the ACC to include an additional non-conference video game for the main function of maintaining our enduring competition video game with South Carolina,” Clemson AD Dan Radakovich said in a statement. Since if there are infections and spread out throughout the season, video games will be put into jeopardy.
The highest-ranked Group of 5 team is ensured a New Years Six video game no matter what, so ultimately general record and conference strength would be the figuring out factor in the rankings.
There are lots of other scheduling losses for Group of 5 schools that in a normal year need Power 5 video games. Boise State will not play Florida State. Memphis will not dip into Purdue; Cincinnati loses Nebraska. Houston loses Washington State. Navys game against Notre Dame is up in the air. Its safe to state that any slim hopes for busting into the College Football Playoff would be nonexistent without Power 5 video games on the schedule for 2020. The highest-ranked Group of 5 group is guaranteed a New Years Six game no matter what, so ultimately overall record and conference strength would be the figuring out factor in the rankings.
ESPN senior authors Heather Dinich, Chris Low and Mark Schlabach added to this report.
