With the Big 10 and Pac-12 reportedly being close to canceling the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, or at least delaying it until the spring, the eyes of the college football world have been turned on the rest of the Power Five, namely the SEC, to see how it plans to address these developments.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey shed some light on those issues in his appearance on the Dan Patrick Show Tuesday morning. Discussing pressure that administrators in other power conferences are feeling, Sankey said that his league’s decision to delay the start of the season to Sep. 26 has given it more flexibility.
He believes that spreading out the preseason schedule and delaying the start of full practices has allowed the league to evaluate developing situations at member schools and others, and with the start slated for nearly a month after students begin returning to campus, he said the league will have time to reevaluate how the presence of other students affects the situation for players.
Sankey also gave no assurances that competition would happen, though. Responding to hypothetical discussions of the SEC playing by itself even if the rest of the Power Five canceled, he said that while it could happen, it probably wouldn’t be the best course of action.
Moving to the topic of player freedoms, Sankey reaffirmed that players have the option to opt-out and retain both their scholarship and spot on the team. In terms of eligibility preservation for players who choose to opt-out, he said that he expects the NCAA to reach a solution within the week.
The full interview can be viewed below. Sankey joins the show around the 28-minute mark.
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