Alabama will only be facing conference competition this regular season. The SEC announced Thursday that it will move to a 10-game, conference-only schedule.
In addition, it was announced that the season will be pushed back to Sept 26 and the conference championship game will be held on Dec. 19 inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The schedule will include one mid-season open date for each school and an open date on December 12 for all schools. Specific times and dates for games will be released at a later date.
“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 in a release. “This new schedule supports the safety measures that are being taken by each of our institutions to ensure the health of our campus communities.”
While the new SEC schedule has not been officially announced, it is thought that the two additional opponents could be the next two in each team's rotation. For Alabama that would be Florida and Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide was already scheduled to play Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Tennessee, LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn this season.
Thursday’s decision comes after the ACC announced an 11-game scheduling model that will see its team’s play 10 conference games plus an additional non-conference game that must be played in the ACC team’s home state. Earlier this month, the Big Ten and Pac-12 also moved to conference-only schedules. The SEC’s presidents and chancellors met virtually earlier Thursday before the conference announced the decision.
The SEC’s move to a strictly conference-only schedule puts an end to the Crimson Tide’s search for a high profile non-conference opponent after its original season-opener against Southern California was canceled. The conference-only approach will allow the SEC to control necessary COVID-19 precautions such as testing and uniform protocols. It should also make it easier to reschedule a game in the event it is postponed.
“We believe these schedule adjustments offer the best opportunity to complete a full season by giving us the ability to adapt to the fluid nature of the virus and the flexibility to adjust schedules as necessary if disruptions occur,” Sankey said. “It is regrettable that some of our traditional non-conference rivalries cannot take place in 2020 under this plan, but these are unique, and hopefully temporary, circumstances that call for unconventional measures.”
Statement from Nick Saban
"We are pleased to have a plan in place for the Southeastern Conference this season. We believe it is the best option to keep players and staff safe and still maintain the integrity of the season. The safety of our team will be our highest priority throughout the season, but we are also excited that our players will have the opportunity to compete and play this season. I want to thank the leadership from our administration, our medical staff, the SEC and all of the medical experts that are guiding us through this process."
Statement from Alabama AD Greg Byrne
"We've continued to stay optimistic about having a fall season, and today's decision to move to a 10-game, conference-only schedule provides us with an opportunity to still compete and move our program forward in the safest way possible. The health and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans has always been at the forefront of our decision making, and we are thankful to now have plans in place that allow us to move forward. We appreciate the hard work of Commissioner Sankey and the SEC staff as well as everyone involved across our 14 campuses to make these collective decisions together."
