With the news that the SEC is joining the Big Ten and Pac-12 and moving to a conference-only schedule for 2020, a number of fascinating non-conference games have been removed from the upcoming college football slate.
In addition to taking some intriguing games off the schedule, this is removing some matchups that draft evaluators were looking forward to studying for the 2021 NFL Draft and beyond. Here are some of the more intriguing one-on-one battles or matchups fans will miss out on in the fall.
Alabama Versus USC
One of the first games of the season has been canceled due to the decisions by both the SEC and the PAC-12, the Kickoff Classic set for September 5th down in Arlington, Texas.
What this means is fans and evaluators will have to wait a little longer to see the impressive Alabama weapons take the field. While the Crimson Tide had two wide receivers drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft in Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy, they have two more potential first rounders in Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
But another matchup that was going to be worth watching would have taken place in the trenches, with USC interior defensive lineman Jay Tufele working against the inside of the Alabama offensive line, including guard Deonte Brown and center Landon Dickerson.
Of course, we also have to wait a bit longer to see quarterback Mac Jones taking over as the full-time starter in the wake of Tua Tagovailoa’s departure. Jones was steady taking over for the injured Tagovailoa, but now the job is his and his alone.