SEC Goes Conference Games Only, What That Means? When will Gundy Meet the Media?

Well, we now know that while the Power Five commisioners may have been meeting every day through the pandemic they certainly weren't in lock-step with each other.

STILLWATER -- Okay, so the Big 12 will be the last to make it official as to how they will conduct the 2020 football season. The good news is that means there is still a chance, heck a good chance that college football will be played this fall. It won't be on Saturday, Aug. 29 or Thursday, Sept. 3. It won't even be over the Labor Day weekend. Okay, the Big Ten is still talking about playing on that weekend. We have yet to hear on the Big 12, but there's a good reason the conference might want to speed up their decision. Oklahoma is scheduled to start fall camp on July 31, so waiting until the Aug. 3 scheduled Big 12 Board of Directors meeting would allow for the Sooners to get as many as three practices in, maybe four if they were to practice early on Monday.

I'm thinking the Big 12 has a special meeting called on Friday, July 31. Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis text me late Thursday afternoon that no such meeting had been called and that Monday is still the next meeting for the Big 12 board. 

I do think the Big 12 will try to even things up and play 10 games, just like the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC, and now the SEC. 

Updates regarding 2020 Fall Sports and Football have been announced.

More info: https://t.co/hBruzjsX0M pic.twitter.com/ebSMVryD2Y

— The ACC (@theACC) July 29, 2020

The SEC and ACC will both play 10 conference games with the SEC adding two more league opponents from the opposite division to each school's schedule. The ACC normally plays eight conference games and some schools (four) play Notre Dame in a scheduling partnership with the Irish.  Now, Notre Dame becomes a fullfledged member of the ACC this season and all schools in the league will play 10 games.  

The 2020 Football Schedule Model has been announced.

More info: https://t.co/D6iCbHIY1x pic.twitter.com/dfhTqr4YTd

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 29, 2020

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have not released schedules and normally play nine conference games, but the expectation is they will bump that up one to join the others at 10 conference games. 

The Big 12 cannot do that, mathmatically impossible for a 10-team conference. As a result of the action by the other Power Five conferences, here are the games that are lost:

Baylor - Mississippi at Houston

Iowa State - at Iowa

Kansas - Boston College

Kansas State - Vanderbilt

Oklahoma - Tennessee

Oklahoma State - Oregon State 

Texas - at LSU

TCU - at California

Texas Tech - Arizona

West Virginia - Florida State at Atlanta, Maryland

The best non conference match-ups remaining for the Big 12 would be:

Baylor - Louisiana Tech (Sept. 26)

Kansas - at Coastal Carolina (Sept. 26)

Kansas State - Buffalo (Sept. 5) 

Iowa State - UNLV (Sept. 19)

Oklahoma - at Army (Sept. 26 - could be tough with New York travel protocols)

Oklahoma State - Tulsa (Sept. 12)

Texas - South Florida (Sept. 5)

TCU - at SMU (Sept. 26)

Texas Tech - at UTEP (Sept. 5)

West Virginia - Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 12)

Unless the ACC reconsiders their plus one format and cuts back to the 10 conference games then they will be needing non conference opponents and a scheduling alliance with the Big 12 could happen. The issue is the Big 12 could not fill all of the ACC schools slates.

One other option that has not been mentioned but might be possible would be to ask BYU if they would like to be a guest member of the Big 12 for this season. The Cougars have now lost six games for this season (at Utah, Michigan State, at Arizona State, at Minnesota, Missouri) and might be willing to jump in

Big 12 virtual football media day was cancelled and this time it is not certain if it will be rescheduled. My friend at the Tulsa World, featured sports columnist Bill Haisten reminded me that it has been 113-days since Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy has spoke to the media. The last time was his April 7 teleconference early during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Then in June, Gundy was called out by his All-American running back Chuba Hubbard for wearing a shirt, while fishing with his sons at Lake Texoma, that was offensive to Hubbard and others of his players. It started the investigation internally that revealed many of Gundy's players and some former players felt he needed to have a stronger presence and relationship with players. Gundy issued video apologies and some in-house comments, but never did a media availability through the situation or during the summer. The virtual Big 12 Media Day on Monday, Aug. 3 would have marked 117-days and the longest Gundy has ever gone between media opportunities. 

It will be interesting when he finally does meet with the media. While Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby suggested the cancellation of Monday's event is because football media days is about talking football, depth charts, and opponents and right now that is not the topic, Gundy will need a clearing of the air and Monday would have been it. The media is going to want to ask Gundy all about the situation from the summer, from how it happened to how he has corrected it. Personally, I'd want to get it over with. The other option would be that wHen Gundy does get in front of the media again, he simply states that he is only going to answer football questions.