South Carolina football: Greg Sankey talks SEC plan for upcoming season

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey appeared on the Dan Patrick Show earlier this week to discuss some topics that will influence South Carolina football this fall.

With news that the Big 10 and PAC 12 will be postponing fall sports, including football, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show Tuesday morning to discuss how his conference is handling the upcoming season.

Topics included scheduling, medical protocols, and the possibility of out of conference matchups. The NCAA recently released its mandatory guidelines in regards to testing of student athletes, and opt out options should players choose to sit out amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Those requirements call for test results to be obtained within 72 hours of competition, universal masking on the sidelines during game action, outdoor training, and daily self-health checks for all athletes and personnel.

The SEC took it a step further, releasing their own guidelines that include third-party testing which ensures that results will remain consistent.

Sankey was asked about his views on the health and safety of student athletes on campus, to which he responded that players are in a “healthier situation working out in our facilities, surrounded by medical professionals, and [practicing] protocols in this new environment, as compared to going to lift at your local gym.”

He went on to discuss the reasoning behind the conference-only slate, which again, goes back to player health. “We’re focused on our 14 members and our 10 games,” said Sankey. “We’ve created a quazi-bubble with our teams, campuses, and conference schedule.”

He was then asked about the possibility of out of conference matchups, in particular, the renewal of SEC v. ACC rivalries that have been removed from the schedule. Rumors began swirling earlier this week about the Southeastern Conference attempting to recruit members of other conferences to join them in the 2020 season.

Sankey replied, “It’s not practical to add others to the SEC for one season.” In this case, it means there will still be no South Carolina versus Clemson matchup, which the commissioner added was a “difficult part of COVID environment.” The league has prioritized its own conference championship game rather than worrying about scheduling with other leagues.

As far as scheduling goes, each team will have a common open date on December 12th, which is followed by the SEC title game on December 19th.

Sankey also discussed liability concerns, and the consequences for student athletes who opt out of the season. The league has put liability waivers in place to remove the possibility of legal ramifications should there be a COVID-related incident during the year. Players that choose to opt out will stay on scholarship. The NCAA is currently pushing for eligibility extensions for those athletes. The Gamecocks have seen two members of its roster decide to forego the season.

Sankey ended by saying that patience and data are the keys to making the most informed decision regarding the season. He’s kept in close contact with medical professionals that have given the green light to continue on with competition, at the moment. As of now, “medical advisory says we can move forward… we’ve announced a start date, additional conference games, and health protocols. [College football fans] should be encouraged by that.”

Unless things change drastically over the next month, expect the SEC to proceed with its current plan, meaning we’ll have football on September 26th.