/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f2332075035d3fda38ce9ef/0x0.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,0&ssl=1 "SEC To Play 10-Game, Conference-Only Football Schedule")
TOPLINE
The Southeastern Conference, widely regarded as the premier conference in college football, will play a 10-game schedule and has canceled all games against non-conference opponents for the 2020 season, according to multiple media reports.
Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers motions “first down” during the second half against the Alabama … [+]
Getty Images
KEY FACTS
The SEC joins other major collegiate conferences, like the Big Ten and the Pac-12, that have already announced plans to only play games in-conference.
It also plans to move back the start and end of its season, with a kickoff date of Sept. 26 and a scheduled SEC championship game for Dec. 19.
The decision officially calls off some marquee games set to take place between SEC teams and out-of-conference opponents, like a scheduled LSU-Texas game and a South Carolina-Clemson game.
The SEC is the dominant force in college football, with teams from the conference winning 11 out of the past 14 national championships.
Student-athletes in all sports who decide to not play during fall 2020 will “continue to have their scholarships honored,” according to the SEC and “will remain in good standing with their team.”
The decision to alter the football schedule was based on “the need for maximum flexibility in making any necessary scheduling adjustments” in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the SEC said.
CRITICAL QUOTE
“After careful consideration of the public health indicators in our region and following advice of our medical advisors, we have determined that this is the best course of action to prepare for a safe and healthy return to competition for SEC student-athletes, coaches and others associated with our sports programs,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement.
KEY BACKGROUND
Like much of campus life, what college football will look like in the fall still remains largely up in the air. The fact that the SEC includes 14 different teams spread across 11 states in the American South will not make things easier for the conference. States across the South have been some of the hardest-hit by the coronavirus surge in the past weeks—particularly states like Florida and Texas, which both have universities in the SEC.
TANGENT
Teams in the conference also generate a significant amount of money—Forbes’ most recent “College Football’s Most Valuable Teams” list named seven SEC teams in the top 12 of the nation’s most valuable, including Texas A&M in the number one spot.
FURTHER READING
College Football’s Most Valuable Teams: Reigning Champion Clemson Tigers Claw Into Top 25 (Forbes)
Florida Sets Another Daily Coronavirus Death Record, Hours After Texas Did The Same (Forbes)
/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f2332075035d3fda38ce9ef/0x0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1&description=SEC+To+Play+10-Game%2C+Conference-Only+Football+Schedule){kind=link}