So instead of trying to push through a COVID-19 situation at Florida where it looks like 19 team members have tested positive this week, it might be prudent to just push it off. But the two teams don’t have to wait until the end of the season to get the game in. There is one move by Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey and the administration of three different schools that could get the game and save that extra weekend at the end of the year for another week like this one.
Florida announced Tuesday that it was pausing all football activities in the short term until they can get a better look at exactly what they are facing. Technically, they can’t call the game off without possibly facing some push back unless they have zero quarterbacks or less than four scholarship defensive linemen, or less than seven scholarship offensive linemen available. These are rules the league instituted in the short preseason, but they certainly could be appealed. Losing those particular players actually doesn’t seem likely even with the big numbers, but there could be some other position or two that are hit really hard and would really cause a lot of issues for the Gators when those players aren’t available.
We all knew this would be a tricky season to get through, even with only 10 games and with the cooperation that comes with playing a conference-only schedule. But everyone wants to push through and try to get everything in. We all want football when of course it is safe for the people involved.
The conference left a gap or bye week in the season for every team on the schedule and they alternate so not too many teams are off on any one weekend and most weekends starting in week three or so have at least one or more off.
LSU and Florida don’t have the same bye week. Florida’s bye weekend date is October 31, and LSU’s bye weekend date is Nov. 7. The Tigers play Auburn on Oct. 31. But here is where a very little bit creativity could go a long way and at bare minimum the two teams can make up the game in midseason and still leave that weekend at the end and before the SEC Championship open in order to be able to take care of another similar situation like this.
As it turns out, Auburn’s bye weekend date is Nov. 7. That means a simple move of LSU vs. Auburn from October 31, to Nov. 7, would open up that October 31, date for both Florida and LSU.
I actually assume that contingencies like this were probably talked about between all the school administrators in the conference before they made the final schedule really just weeks before the season started. This really takes care of everything except sliding the TV schedule around this coming weekend when both Florida and LSU would be off. No TV schedule has been made for that Oct. 31, or Nov. 7, weekend yet.
Either way this is a chance for Sankey to step up, get with the administrations at Florida, LSU, and Auburn and make it happen. They have already moved mountains and showed to be way ahead of the game with getting this far in the season with little trouble. This seems like an easy task if needed.
The Link LonkOctober 14, 2020 at 08:32AM
https://247sports.com/college/florida/Article/Florida-Gators-Football-Easy-change-for-schedule-with-Florida-and-LSU-with-Greg-Sankey-doing-a-little-work-152954855/
Easy change for schedule with LSU and Sankey doing some work - 247Sports
https://news.google.com/search?q=easy&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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