The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a disruption in nearly every phase of life since the outbreak began this winter.
On Thursday it landed another blow to normalcy as the Southeastern Conference announced it will adopt a 10-game football schedule for 2020 that features only league opponents.
The decision means the Governor's Cup game between Kentucky and Louisville, among other celebrated rivalry games in the South, will be canceled this season.
“I’m glad there is a plan in place so we can move forward with preparations for the season," UK head coach Mark Stoops said in a statement released by the school. "I understand and support the decision to begin on Sept. 26. Everyone would like to play a full schedule, including our rivalry game with Louisville, but this timing and format gives us our best opportunity to adjust to these unique circumstances.”
Added UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart: “I fully support the SEC’s decision to move to conference-only games, though we are disappointed we won’t have the chance to compete with Louisville for the Governor’s Cup this season. That series means a great deal to the Commonwealth and we look forward to working with Louisville to continue the series in seasons to come.”
Kentucky and Louisville were originally scheduled to play on Nov. 28 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. The Cats were seeking their third straight win in the heated series, including victories of 56-10 and 45-13 the last two years.
It will mark the first time since 1993 that the Cats and Cards will not meet on the gridiron.
The SEC aims to begin play on the weekend of Sept. 26 with one mid-season open date and an additional open date on Dec. 12 for all schools. The league championship game is slated for Dec. 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, pushed back from its original date of Dec. 5.
"This new plan for a football schedule is consistent with the educational goals of our universities to allow for the safe and orderly return to campus of their student populations and to provide a healthy learning environment during these unique circumstances presented by the COVID-19 virus," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement released by the league office.
"This new schedule supports the safety measures that are being taken by each of our institutions to ensure the health of our campus communities."
League officials believe the new schedule will allow flexibility to adjust to the health outlook surrounding the coronavirus as it evolves.
"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," Sankey said. "It is regrettable that some of our traditional non-conference rivalries cannot take place in 2020 under this plan, but these are unique, and hopefully temporary, circumstances that call for unconventional measures."
A revised schedule for the 2020 SEC football season will be announced at a later date following approval by the Conference's athletics directors. It has been rumored that teams will pick up the next two opponents on their rotating opposite-division schedule, which would be LSU and Ole Miss for the Wildcats.
