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The uncertainty of COVID-19 has forced college football to change how it will go about executing the upcoming 2020 season.
In terms of Power 5 Conferences, the Big Ten was the first to come out and announce that its schedule would be modified. The PAC-12 and ACC followed suit. After deciding to hold on its decision for a few weeks, the SEC announced its plans on July 30 that it would be playing a 10-game, conference-only schedule in the fall.
This left one conference remaining: the Big 12.
But on Monday, the league joined its peers. At last, the Big 12 came out with its game plan for the season. The Big opted for the nine-conference-games-plus-one model
The Big 12 is going with a 9+1 scheduling model for the 2020 season, sources confirm. Story with @NicoleAuerbach on the decision: https://t.co/VC1ccKt28H
— Max Olson (@max_olson) August 4, 2020
Breaking it Down
As mentioned above, the Big 12 has made the choice to play a 10-game season that will include nine conference games and one nonconference matchup. The league, along with the ACC, will be the only two out of five Power 5 teams to play a non-conference opponent in addition to conference games.
The Big 12 is expected to come out with an announcement about when the season will start in the next few days. Sept. 19 or Sept. 26 are the two possible target dates the Big 12 has discussed.
Furthermore, since the conference has decided to go the route of playing nonconference games, it is anticipated that these matchups will be completed before teams get into conference play. Additionally, these non-conference opponents would play at the school of the Big 12 team, as well.
When it comes to the league’s conference championship, it is currently scheduled to take place on its original Dec. 5 date in Arlington, Texas. But it could be adjusted if necessary. There are reports that the game could be moved to Dec. 12 or Dec. 19.
Of course, the PAC-12 and SEC both made the decision to push their conference title games back to Dec. 19. If the conference does go in this direction, there could be some shuffling when it comes to finding a place to play.
High school football championships usually take place that weekend at AT&T Stadium. So, there is the possibility of the conference title game being moved to the Texas Rangers’ new baseball stadium, Globe Life Field.
