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SEC Looking Into "Playing Alone" If Necessary In 2020

Would the SEC play a college football season all by themselves in 2020? If you listen to commissioner Greg Sankey, they would!
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It's possible the Southeastern Conference could play a college football season regardless of what the rest of the conferences decide to do, according to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on The Paul Finebaum Show. 

"The hope is we all move along together," Sankey said. "There is room for different conferences to make different decisions," 

Should Sankey and the SEC go through with a season without the rest of college football, it would be an unprecedented move that could send a significant ripple through the sports landscape. 

It's too soon to know what will transpire; one could speculate that such a move should the NCAA object, could cause significant tension between the NCAA, other universities, and conferences that might reject such a move. 

No other conference has made such a comment at this time. While others could join the SEC in such a move when the time comes, it would be difficult to see how the conferences might be able to face each other in bowl games or a playoff scenario without NCAA support. 

Of course, the conference wants every single conference to participate and for the season to take place as usual, but should the conference decide to go it alone; there would be some schedule changes that would take place. 

Absent other conferences, games like Alabama's season opener against USC in Dallas would be lost, replaced by a matchup with Vanderbilt or another conference foe not currently on their schedule. 

The Commodores face Mercer in their season opener. They would likely prefer to see the schedule as it stands currently that to add the Tide, but such possibilities exist under this scenario. 

How would it work? 

That too remains to be seen, but a ten-game schedule would seem likely where the division portions of the schedule remain the same along with natural rivals and scheduled conference opponents while adding two teams not currently in the schedule to fill out the season.

The two division winners could then faceoff in Atlanta- or elsewhere for the conference title. 

All this is purely speculation at this point, but at least for now, Sankey has put this out into the public view, and it's not the worst thing anyone could hear right now. 

Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven