With Colorado game in jeopardy, A&M, SEC committed to measured decisions

Texas A&M appears on the brink of losing at least one game from its 2020 football season.

The Big Ten conference on Thursday announced it was canceling all non-conference competition in fall sports due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. That in itself would not affect Texas A&M. However, not long after that report, Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic tweeted:

“Multiple industry insiders tell @TheAthletic that they expect the Pac-12 to go to conference-only scheduling as well in the coming days.”

That would result in the cancelation of Texas A&M’s game against Colorado on Sept. 19 at Kyle Field.

The Aggies are scheduled to open their season on Sept. 5 against Abilene Christian at Kyle Field. They also have non-conference games against North Texas on Sept. 12 and Fresno State on Oct. 10. Those games are also scheduled at Kyle Field.

The timing of Thursday’s move by the Big Ten caught the college football world by surprise. In a statement to TexAgs on Thursday evening, Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork indicated A&M and the SEC are trying to keep all options open rather than making premature decisions.

“We remain in constant contact with the SEC and believe that decisions of this magnitude warrant much more planning and communication,” Bjork said.

“Throughout this process, our approach at Texas A&M has been to stay organized and informed with current information, and that mindset will continue in the days and weeks ahead. As we have learned throughout this unprecedented situation, everything remaIns fluid, and there are a number of scenarios that can work for college sports.”

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey offered similar sentiments in a Thursday evening statement.

“The Southeastern Conference will continue to meet regularly with our campus leaders in the coming weeks, guided by medical advisors, to make the important decisions necessary to determine the best path forward related to the SEC fall sports,” Sankey said. “We recognize the challenges ahead and know the well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans must remain at the forefront of those decisions.”

Sports Illustrated reported Thursday night that Sankey has called for an in-person meeting next Monday with all 14 SEC athletic directors to discuss the issues related to fall sports.

Should the Southeastern Conference also opt to play a conference-only schedule, A&M would open the season against Arkansas on Sept. 26 in Arlington. That’s assuming the SEC would not change its conference schedule.

The possible cancelation of the Colorado game would not necessarily mean A&M would play fewer than the traditional 12-game regular season.

There has been speculation that A&M could play Texas Tech of the Big 12 instead. Texas Tech has a non-conference game against Arizona of the Pac-12 on Sept. 19.

“We have not talked scheduling or anything like that,” Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork said on May 19. “That’s the stuff that you look at. You look at all those different things. You just stay on top of the potential.”

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby indicated Thursday the Big 12 is also taking a slower approach to decisions about scheduling.

If Texas A&M and Texas Tech did opt to play, there’s no indication if the teams would meet at Kyle Field, in Lubbock or at a neutral site.