For years, SEC fans have struggled for fewer games against lower-level squads and more big-time matchups with opponents of their own stature.
It was an epidemic, but they can get their wish.
The SEC is moving closer to an agreement on a conference-only schedule of 10 games, several sources reported Sports Illustrated. During a virtual meeting on Wednesday, most athletic directors approved the idea of a SEC-only, 10-game schedule. However, the schedule must be confirmed by the league presidents. SEC chairmen are expected to meet approximately Thursday to discuss the matter seriously. It is unclear whether they will vote until next week or delay the decision. The NCAA Board of Governors is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, which could be an important event for the 2020–21 college athletic season. Officials can end the year-end championships for sports such as FCS football, volleyball and football or cancel those, or transfer them in the spring.
Three weeks ago, SEC athletic directors met in Birmingham in a one-man meeting, creating a number of potential contingency plans for the 2020 season, including a conference and schedule of only 8–10 games that included eight conference games and one Or two non-included. Conference game. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have already announced their plans for a conference-only schedule, but the ACC, Big 12, and SEC were working to preserve non-conference games between their schools, most notably Matchquests like LSU — Texas and Tennessee — play four traditional year-end rivalries between Oklahoma and the ACC and SEC: Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State, Kentucky-Louisville, and South Carolina-Clemson.
A conference-only schedule, however, has emerged as a possible best option, even though not all league administrators are necessarily in agreement. A conference-only slate features flexibility and a uniform testing protocol for all sports. The number of games, 10, is seen by many in college football as a possible minimum requirement to compete in the College Football Playoff this year, although that number is likely to fluctuate according to the virus’s impact.
The SEC’s decision, if made, would create a ripple effect that would extend to several levels. The ACC and the Big 12 will lose a combined 13 matches against the SEC and the ACC Announced Model your own schedule on Wednesday. The group of five can have no choice but to follow suit. All college football can play a short season with only conference games.
The conference-only model would mean finishing the game against the Group of Five and FCS teams. These are often referred to as “game buying” because SEC teams pay steep prices – sometimes $ 1.5 million per game – to their traveling competitors. In fact, according to NCAA reports the school received by SI, SEC teams paid more than $ 45 million in purchasing the game in 2017. This year, Georgia is the only SEC school to have two Power 5 programs in its non-conference schedule. All other teams play three matches against the Group of Five / FCS squad. Those small clubs may be owed millions for canceling SEC teams. However, there is a possible exit. In at least some sports contracts, changes to the “league scheduling format” can relieve an SEC team from its contractual responsibility, many administrators tell SI.
If the model is approved by the presidents, the SEC may find itself in a formidable position in determining two additional conference games. The league’s normal regular season consists of six games against the internal division, one permanent opponent and two rotating opponents of the opposite division.
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