Depth The Key to Success in 2020 Pandemic Football

As we embark on the most unpredictable season in sports history, there's one element the team that wins the SEC championship will need to have to get it done.

Depth is always an issue in sports and football in particular. But perhaps it has never been as crucial as it will be this season in the Southeastern Conference. 

Not only must the teams battle the inevitable injuries that come from playing such a physically taxing game, but with the added issues of playing in a pandemic. Players could, and likely will be lost because of a positive test result even though they show no signs of symptoms and aren't sick. 

Yes, every season is a test for the strength of a team's roster. Still, very few teams can go beyond two deep without suffering a significant drop off in either talent or experience. 

Thus when looking at the SEC in 2020 and attempting to determine which team might walk away with the league crown, there are not many teams set up for this grind with ten conference games and no easy contests on the slate. 

Of the top teams in the league, Alabama and Georgia are two teams that have incredible talent and depth capable of withstanding both injuries and COVID losses, and even then, those two will likely suffer from experience when dropping to their third-string players. 

Even those two squads aren't immune to issues when injuries occur. Last season the Tide suffered season-ending injuries to multiple players on the defensive side. Those losses certainly played a part in their two losses in 2019 that cost them a place in the playoffs and potential shot at another tile. 

For the remained of the league outside those two, they will hope to avoid a severe rash of injuries because while some have a reliable second team, it drops considerably from there. 

As for the Commodores, there are issues on the offensive line which have been compounded by players opting-out this season. Add depth issues that regularly impact Derek Mason's team, and you have the recipe for a tough year. 

This could be one of the most exciting seasons ever in college football. For the teams that can avoid injuries and players quarantines, and if we can make it through the year at all, there will be a championship game and possible league championship in their future. 

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Bama and the Bulldogs of Georgia face each other in the regular season and once again on Dec. 19 in Atlanta.