TALLAHASSEE – Florida State football is scheduled to host Samford on Saturday, September 19 in their lonely non-conference match over the renewed football schedule for the 2020 season.
That game is now in jeopardy as the Southern Conference of Presidents, which is Samford’s home conference, announced Thursday that the league will not hold a competition conference due to health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing matches without conference if you wish. The caveat regarding competition for nonconferences, such as the game between the Bulldogs and Seminoles, leaves open the possibility that the game may survive after all.
Samford Director of Athletics Martin Newton said during a press conference on Thursday night that ‘at present no’ decision has been taken ‘regarding their non-conference football games, including those against the Seminoles.
“We still have a lot of decisions to make,” Newton told al.com. ‘We have been in constant contact with all our opponents of non-conference, and are trying to find out at this point. I would like to tell you that I have an answer today, but I still think there are a lot of moving parts. And most important is the health and safety of our athletes and coaches of students, and we want to be sure if we were to play some of those non-conference matches – not only in football, but also with football, volleyball, cross country as well.
“We have made some decisions there, but no decision has been made today. I promise you this will be a late night and an early morning try to figure that out again. ”
It is the intention to move the regular season competition and championships of the Southern Conference Fall-sports to the spring, the commissioner of the competition stated when announcing the decision regarding competition.
“This decision was made with extensive evaluation and discussion,” said Southern Conference Commissioner Jim Schaus sei. ‘Ultimately, we found it necessary to ensure the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches and staff. This decision was also supported by the conference’s medical advisory committee.
“I am just sorry not to have to attend our fall conference competition. We know what this means for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and loyal fans, but safety must come first. We are still hoping that we can successfully participate in these sports in the spring. We will monitor the COVID-19 situation on a daily basis to make prudent and necessary decisions regarding athletic practice and competition in the future.
Before his press conference, Martin Newton issued this statement via a press release.
“Earlier today, the Southern Conference of Presidents voted to postpone the Fall sports from 2020 to the spring, but left open the option to play non-conference matches this fall,” Newton said. “While there are still many questions to be answered, I look forward to working with the SoCon office and our member institutions as we develop a path to play this spring. Today’s news may change the way we approach this semester “But the perseverance of our student-athletes, coaches and staff has shown in this difficult time is uplifting. I am sure we will soon see the Bulldogs back on the fields and courts.”
Noles247.com reached out to FSU for comment, but they did not provide one.
FSU’s schedule against opponents of the Atlantic Coast Conference begins on Saturday, September 12 when they host Georgia Tech. They are scheduled to travel to Miami on Saturday 26 sept.
After a week away, they go after Notre Dame on Saturday, October 10th. They host then North Carolina the following week, before moving on Louisville to close their Oktoberljip.
After their second weekend, the Seminoles open the last month of the season on Saturday, November 7 when they host Pitt. They then travel to NC State the following weekend before you host back-to-back home games with Clemson en Virginia. The regular season closes on Saturday, December 5th Duke.
