The wait is finally over. After months of uncertainty surrounding the 2020 SEC football schedule, the results are in.
As the Power Five conferences continue to navigate through the 2020 college football season amid the coronavirus pandemic, each conference is taking different steps. In early-July, the Big Ten and the Pac-12 conferences became the first to implement a conference-only schedule for 2020.
On July 30, the SEC officially announced a conference-only football schedule for the 2020 season, beginning on September 26. The SEC Championship has been pushed back from December 5 to December 19.
“This new plan for a football schedule is consistent with the educational goals of our universities to allow for the safe and orderly return to campus of their student populations and to provide a healthy learning environment during these unique circumstances presented by the COVID-19 virus,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “This new schedule supports the safety measures that are being taken by each of our institutions to ensure the health of our campus communities.”
Throughout the entire process, Sankey has been praised for the job he’s done. ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum praised Sankey, saying he has shown adept leadership during an unprecedented offseason.
“I think he’s handled the last four months as skillfully and as intelligently as anyone in the country,” Finebaum said on WJOX in Birmingham. “I say that because he’s been open about it. He hasn’t locked himself in a room and put out statements like Mark Emmert of the NCAA. Greg Sankey has been very visible and accessible. I think that’s important.
“Ultimately, this decision (on the SEC’s 2020 season) will be labeled his whether it is or not.”
The decision has been made, and football is ready to (hopefully) be played. Below is the full slate of the new SEC football schedule for the 2020 regular season.
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