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The SEC took a COVID blow to the chin on Monday as a post-announcement announcement was made around the league about its football schedules.
A coach tested positive, a team suspended training, and a game was postponed after an avalanche of pandemic news spread throughout the Power 5 conference.
The SEC had previously set a minimum threshold of 53 scholarship athletes available to compete.
Players who test positive for COVID-19 must be quarantined for 10 days. Players considered to be at high risk due to contact with a positive suspect should be quarantined for 14 days.
This is what we know:
Mississippi-Auburn State
AL.com first announced that Auburn’s game with the state of Mississippi, scheduled for Saturday, was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the state of Mississippi, the SEC said Monday. . The game has been tentatively postponed to December 12.
“Based on positive tests and those considered close contact, as well as non-COVID injuries, we do not have the minimum number of scholarship student-athletes available for Saturday’s game against Auburn,” said the MSU director of athletics, John Cohen, in a statement. “While we are disappointed that Saturday’s game has been postponed, our top priority is the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and staff. We will continue to follow all established protocols and assess the most responsible path back to the field. “
Texas A and M-Tennessee
Jimbo Fisher announced Monday that his Texas A&M Aggies were still scheduled to play in Tennessee on Saturday, but the program suspended in-person football activities and canceled Monday’s practice due to COVID-19.
The team will hold videoconference meetings on Monday instead of the practice. Texas A&M (5-1) plays Tennessee Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. He said the team was undergoing further testing and contact tracing on Monday to see if the coronavirus had spread.
“We are trying to prevent this,” he said. “We are doing everything from a safety issue with our players and staff to keep them as safe as possible.”
Fisher said he was hopeful his team could return to campus on Tuesday. He was also confident on Monday that his team would be able to play at Tennessee (2-4) on Saturday, but said he would only know for sure after completing testing and contact tracing.
LSU-Alabama
LSU coach Ed Orgeron announced Monday that the Tigers were facing COVID issues and did not rule out that the game against Alabama No.1 Crimson Tide could be postponed or canceled.
Orgeron said plans were to play the game on Saturday and while Orgeron did not go into details in terms of exact players, he did acknowledge that some starters were currently absent.
While Orgeron stressed that he wanted to be careful about answering medical questions and did not want to enter the number of players affected by the team’s latest outbreak, he noted that the problem went beyond the number of positive COVID-19 tests. The number of linked quarantines due to possible exposure has also lightened his list in recent days, he said.
Orgeron said starting quarterback Myles Brennan would not be able to play due to an abdominal injury that sidelined the quarterback for two games and could lead to the decision to shut Brennan down for the rest of the season.
Orgeron did not say whether Brennan’s two main backups – freshmen TJ Finley and Max Johnson – were affected by COVID-19 testing or quarantine, or whether their availability was in doubt.
Arkansas-Florida
Arkansas announced Monday that football coach Sam Pittman tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Florida.
Pittman’s Sunday PCR test was positive. The school announced the coach was not symptomatic and was retested on Monday morning. He has isolated himself as the Razorbacks await Monday’s test results.
Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Barry Odom will serve as the team’s interim head coach while Coach Pittman is away.
The Razorbacks got off to a 3-3 start in Pittman’s first year – a big jump from last year’s 2-10 campaign. Arkansas won two of three and is coming off a 24-13 victory over Tennessee.
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on twitter @Mark_Heim.
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