SEC Announces Requirements for Canceled, Rescheduled Games for 2020 Football Season

Minimum of 53 scholarship players must be active for SEC games to be conducted, conference rules.

One of the lingering questions as college football in the SEC returns is what the protocols are for a team that has to postpone or cancel a game due to an outbreak of COVID-19. On Friday, the conference announced that in order for a game to take place, teams are advised to have a minimum of 53 active scholarship players on the roster. 

In addition, the conference advised schools that a minimum of one active quarterback, seven offensive linemen and four defensive linemen should be active though teams have the option of playing with less than the advised amount of players by the conference if it chooses. If a team does have to postpone a game, it will have the option to reschedule the game or have it declared a "no contest."

If it the institution decides to do the latter it must do so by "presenting data (including total number of players not available to participate) outlining reasons why the game should not be played as scheduled." The ultimate decision on whether to postpone or declare it a no contest will be up to the Commissioner to decide.

LSU is now eight days away from its first game of the season against Mississippi State and coach Ed Orgeron recently revealed that "three or four" players are currently out due to COVID-19. 

"I've told the team we need everybody," Orgeron said on Tuesday. "There's no telling what's gonna happen with the COVID, I think we've got a good handle of it but once a kid gets it, next man's gotta go out. For the player who haven't caught it, we talk to them about being very, very careful. We know that the players who haven't caught it, we have to have some backups ready in case they catch it."