The Big Ten previously announced it would abide by a conference-only schedule for the 2020 football season. Now, SEC football is following suit.

Conference officials released a statement Thursday announcing September 26 as the official start date for the 2020 season, per the SEC website.

The SEC football schedule will consist of 10 regular season games, followed by the SEC Championship Game on December 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Commissioner Greg Sankey said the plan is meant to work in conjunction with the health and safety measures instituted by each of the schools in the conference:

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“This new plan for a football schedule is consistent with the educational goals of our universities to allow for the safe and orderly return to campus of their student populations and to provide a healthy learning environment during these unique circumstances presented by the COVID-19 virus,” Sankey said. “This new schedule supports the safety measures that are being taken by each of our institutions to ensure the health of our campus communities.”

Alabama head coach Nick Saban released a statement shortly after the announcement, saying “The safety of our team will be our highest priority throughout the season…” while also noting the excitement felt by both players and staff.

It always seemed unlikely the major conferences would simply cancel the 2020 football season, in spite of other happenings in other athletic conferences.

Both the Ivy League and Patriot League moved to cancel fall sports earlier this months. Of course, football does not generate anywhere close to the same amount of revenue in those leagues as in the Big Ten or SEC.

Still, schools will need to proceed with an abundance of caution, even in a conference-only season.