The Sun Belt Conference announced Tuesday morning that the 2020 football season is set to begin on Labor Day weekend, however, a “Week Zero” is permitted for non-conference play.
Before the release from the Conference Texas State announced on Monday that they have opted to play a Week Zero game against SMU.
Arkansas State is scheduled to kick off the season on September 5 at Memphis.
See more in the press release below:
After extensive discussions and careful deliberation among the Sun Belt Conference Presidents and Chancellors, Athletics Directors, SBC COVID-19 Advisory Panel, medical advisors, and other governance groups, the Sun Belt Conference announced today that its football season will begin over Labor Day weekend.
Sun Belt member institutions have focused since June on a safe return to athletic activities. We believe this timetable will allow for the healthy integration of the entire campus community for each Sun Belt member.
The 2020 Sun Belt Conference football season will be comprised of an 8-conference game schedule with an option for each member to add as many as four non-conference opponents, beginning with Week Zero. The Sun Belt will host a football championship game on December 5 between the East Division and West Division champions. If necessary, the date of the championship game may be adjusted.
The Sun Belt Conference will continue to monitor health trends across our communities. Sun Belt Presidents and Chancellors, Athletics Directors, the COVID-19 Advisory Panel, and medical advisors will continue to review data to ensure a safe return to activities and competition. Our data review will cross seven states and 12 counties and include, among other things, infection rates, hospitalization rates, local health directives, advancements in COVID-19 testing and campus, department and team health trends.
We will continue to provide updates on the league’s activities as the impact of the pandemic continues to evolve.
