ATHENS -- As has been hinted at and discussed at great length throughout the preseason buildup to college football season, the SEC on Monday made it official that sporting events cancelled as a result of COVID-19 outbreaks this year will result in forfeits for the teams unable to meet roster minimums.
That will even be the case if both opponents have personnel shortages due to infections and/or contact-tracing quarantines.
“Both teams shall be deemed to have forfeited the game, with a loss assigned to both teams and applied to the conference standings,” according to the SEC news release circulated Monday. “Both teams will be deemed to have played and completed the contest for purpose of the conference standings. The commissioner retains discretion to declare a ‘no contest’ for any event if extraordinary circumstances warrant.”
Commissioner Greg Sankey hinted that this would be the new policy for the league during his opening remarks at SEC Media Days in mid-July. At that point, he said forfeits were being seriously considered to help encourage vaccinations as much anything.
“The word ‘forfeit’ comes up,” Sankey said then. “Our teams are going to have to be fully prepared to play their season as scheduled, which is why embedded in my remarks is the vaccination motivation.”
Last year, Georgia lost the opportunity to play one of its 10 regular-season games in the pandemic-reduced regular season when Vanderbilt opted out of coming to Athens what was initially scheduled as the season finale. The teams were unable to make up the game as the Bulldogs already had scheduled a Dec. 12 makeup against Missouri. The Commodores ended up playing Tennessee the following week, which they lost 42-17 to finish the year 0-9.
Georgia lost the revenue from that home game, plus the chance to win a ninth game in what would have been an 11-game season, including the bowl game. Accordingly, the SEC included in its new COVID rules that financial losses for the school that was able to play could be considered for reimbursement – subject to approval from the SEC executive committee – in the end-of-year revenue distribution process.
Meanwhile, the SEC said regular tie-breaking procedures specific to each sport would be applied to determine champions, division champions or seedings.
