For years, SEC fans have clamored for fewer games against lower-level squads and more big-time showdowns with opponents of their own teams’ stature.
It took a pandemic, but they can get their wish.
SEC is nearing a deal on a 10-game schedule for the conference only, multiple sources said. Illustrated Sports. During a virtual meeting on Wednesday, most athletic directors approved the idea of a 10-game schedule for the SEC only. However, the schedule must be ratified by the league presidents. SEC presidents are expected to meet virtually on Thursday to seriously discuss the matter. It is unclear whether they will vote then or delay a decision until next week. The NCAA Board of Governors will meet Tuesday in what could be a landmark event for the 2020–21 college athletic season. Officials there could postpone or cancel the fall championships, eliminating the end-of-year championships for sports such as football, volleyball, and FCS soccer, or move them to spring.
Three weeks ago, the SEC’s athletic directors gathered in Birmingham for an in-person meeting that produced several potential contingency plans for a 2020 season, including 8-10 game conference-only times and times that include eight games. conference plus one or two conference sets. Big Ten and Pac-12 have already announced their plans for conference-only hours, but ACC, Big 12, and SEC were working to try to preserve non-conference games between their schools, specifically clashes like LSU-Texas and Tennessee. – Oklahoma and the four traditional end-of-year rivalry games between the ACC and the SEC: Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State, Kentucky-Louisville, and South Carolina-Clemson.
However, a conference-only timeline has become a possible best option, even though all league administrators don’t necessarily agree. A conference-only whiteboard allows flexibility and all games have a uniform testing protocol. The number of games, 10, is seen by many in college football as a potential minimum requirement to compete in the college football playoff this year, although that number is likely to fluctuate according to the impacts of the virus.
The SEC’s decision, if taken, would create a ripple effect that will span multiple levels. The ACC and Big 12 would lose 13 combined games against the SEC, and the ACC announced its own calendar model on Wednesday. The Group of Five may have no choice but to follow their example. All college football could play a shorter season that includes only conference games.
A conference-only model would mean the elimination of games against Group of Five and FCS teams. They are often referred to as “buying games” because SEC teams pay high prices, sometimes as much as $ 1.5 million per game, to their roaming competitors. In fact, SEC teams in 2017 paid more than $ 45 million in shopping games, according to NCAA school reports obtained by SI. This year, Georgia is the only SEC school with two Power 5 programs on its off-conference schedule. All other teams play three games against Group of Five / FCS squads. SEC teams could owe millions to those smaller clubs for cancellations. However, there is a potential outside. In at least some gaming contracts, a change to the “league schedule format” could relieve an SEC team of its contractual liability, several administrators told SI.
If the model is approved by the presidents, the SEC could find itself in a difficult situation when scheduling the two additional conference games. The league’s regular regular season includes six games against enemies from the inside division, one permanent opponent, and two rotating opponents from the opposite division.
More from the SI.com team sites:
NCAA President Emmert “very concerned” about the 2020 soccer season
Ohio State Announces Limited Fan Capacity for 2020 Home Games
Eight Penn State athletes test positive for COVID-19
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