The SEC made a decision that many had been waiting to hear about on Thursday afternoon and that was to say they were going conference only with their 2020 schedule.
The Southeastern Conference has established September 26 as the new kickoff for its 2020 football season to allow its universities to focus on the healthy return of their campus communities and the gradual re-introduction of athletics, as the 14 members of the SEC continue to monitor developments related to COVID-19, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Thursday.
The 2020 SEC football season will be comprised of a 10-game Conference-only schedule and the SEC Football Championship Game will be played December 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, rescheduled from the original date of December 5. The schedule will include one mid-season open date for each school and an open date on December 12 for all schools.
“Today is an exciting day for all of us who love college football in the SEC. The toughest conference in college football is going to battle it out in historic fashion.” LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward said in a statement, “Tiger Stadium and our National Championship Football team will play host to five SEC opponents in a 10-game, all-SEC regular-season schedule.
“As a conference we have been aligned in this process from the beginning and I want to thank Commissioner (Greg) Sankey for his leadership during this unprecedented time. There is still a great deal of work to be done and many important decisions to be made, but this is a big step in the right direction for our conference, our school and our student-athletes.”
A revised schedule for the 2020 SEC football season will be announced at a later date following approval by the Conference’s athletics directors.