The Southeastern Conference will be playing a ten-game, conference-only football schedule this fall, the conference announced Thursday afternoon. The start of the season will also be delayed to Sept. 26, with the SEC Championship game also pushed back to Dec. 19.
The SEC’s decision follows similar moves from other major athletic conferences to modify the college football season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Big Ten and Pac-12 previously announced conference-only schedules while the ACC will play 10 conference games and one non-conference game.
“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,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a release.
As a result, Missouri will eliminate previously-scheduled games against Central Arkansas, Eastern Michigan, BYU and Louisiana-Lafayette.
The Tigers had eight SEC matchups already on the schedule, so they’ll add two games against opponents from the SEC West division. Those additional games are expected to follow the SEC’s rotation of non-division matchups, meaning Missouri would face Texas A&M at home and Auburn on the road.
SEC athletic directors approved the conference-only plan during a meeting on Wednesday. University presidents provided final approval on Thursday.
It’s unclear exactly how Missouri’s schedule will shift due to the later start and modified opponents.
_Edited by Maia Bond | editors@themaneater.com_