The Southeastern Conference will add Dec. 19 as a makeup date for football games that have been postponed, commissioner Greg Sankey announced Friday.
The conference championship game is slated for that day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and will remain as scheduled. The College Football Playoff selection committee announces its final rankings of the season on Dec. 20.
With the additional date, teams not participating in the championship game will be eligible to make up games rescheduled during the remaining weeks of the 2020 season.
The conference planned ahead and added a Dec. 12 makeup slot. But for some teams, that date already has been filled in, meaning a second postponement cannot be rescheduled without a second date.
Four SEC games set for this weekend were postponed.
The Missouri-Georgia game was one of them. Missouri already saw its Oct. 17 game against Vanderbilt postponed and moved to Dec. 12. The extra date will allow the conference the flexibility to try to make up the Georgia game.
The conference also said it could revise the weekly football schedule up to 9 p.m. ET on the Monday prior a game scheduled for Saturday games to maximize the number of games each program can play. Games eligible for rescheduling can only be part of a team’s original schedule and between opponents who have not met in 2020.
“It has been a goal of the SEC to play a complete football schedule provided we maintain a healthy environment for student-athletes and everyone around our football programs,” Sankey said. “The added flexibility of a December 19 playing date for teams that do not qualify for the SEC Football Championship and the ability to adjust opponents on five-day notification provide a greater opportunity for our schools to play a full schedule of games in 2020.”