As the United States continues its battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, some uncertainty surrounds the upcoming college football season. In early July, the Big Ten became the first conference to announce a switch to a conference-only schedule. The Pac-12 followed suit soon after.
As three of the Power Five conferences have announced their scheduling plans, let’s take a look at what we can expect this season.
Big 12
The Big 12 is the only Power Five conference that has not yet announced their scheduling format for this upcoming season. According to CBS Sports’s Dennis Dodd, the athletic directors from each school are split between support for two formats. The first involves a traditional 12-game schedule, and the second proposes a 10-game schedule with one non-conference opponent. The next meeting between the Big 12 presidents is August 3rd.
Big Ten
The Big Ten was the first Power Five conference to announce its transition to a conference-only slate, but they’re still working out the details. Currently, they’re looking at a nine-game schedule with just conference opponents, but they could add an additional game to each team’s schedule. Right now, there is no clear indication as to which path the conference is leaning toward, but they will decide soon.
ACC
The ACC has agreed to an 11-game schedule that includes 10 conference games. In addition, the conference added Notre Dame as a member for this season. The Fighting Irish will adhere to the same format as the other members, which will give them an opportunity to reach the ACC Championship.
The ACC will start their season the week of September 7. Their non-conference opponents will be determined and selected by their member schools. The league will switch to one division this year, with the top two teams playing in the conference title game.
Pac-12
The Pac-12 followed the path of the Big Ten and announced a conference-only schedule for this season. The conference has adopted a 10-game schedule set to begin on Sept. 26. Due to the delayed start to the season, the conference title game has been pushed back two weeks to either Dec. 18 or 19.
SEC
The SEC has announced a 10-game conference-only schedule. All member teams will play the eight opponents they were originally scheduled to play, with the last two opponents coming from their cross-division rotation. Like the Pac-12, the SEC will start its season on Sept. 26, pushing back its title game to Dec. 19.
The developing story with all of this rescheduling involves the Big 12. They are still hoping for a traditional schedule even though the rest of the Power Five have moved to a conference-only format. The conference’s upcoming meeting will mark a major step toward an agreement.
The ACC is the only Power Five conference that will play non-conference opponents this year. The selection of those opponents could encourage other conferences to do the same. For the ACC, the addition of Notre Dame may shake up the conference’s outlook.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the college football season, and some prime time games have already been cancelled.
The traditional ACC-SEC rivalry games such as Florida vs. Florida State, Kentucky vs. Louisville, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, and South Carolina vs. Clemson will not happen this year.
Other highly touted matchups such as Michigan vs. Washington, Oregon vs. Ohio State, and Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin have also been cancelled. Those games could have had playoff implications late in the season, but they will now be replaced with in-conference matchups.
Some college athletes have opted out of this season, and more have threatened to follow them. No matter what schedules look like, this season is going to be one of a kind.
