It certainly seems as if the sky is falling on this 2020 Southeastern Conference football season with news Wednesday that this weekend’s Georgia-Missouri game joined Auburn-Mississippi State, Alabama-LSU and Texas A&M-Tennessee on the postponement shelf.
Then again, perhaps this is the perfect time to point out that until this week, 40 of a possible 42 SEC games have taken place. Only the LSU-Florida and Vanderbilt-Missouri contests on Oct. 17 had to be pushed back to Dec. 12 before this week’s quartet of delays.
“I certainly think that if somebody had told us this in June or July, I probably would have been a little shocked that the efficiency rate would have been so high,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday. “I’m not going to be quick to judge, because you don’t know where it’s headed. I certainly know where we are right now and that the seniors on this team and across the SEC would say that it’s been a benefit for them and for the younger players in terms of growth and development.
“I know their mental health is much better, because these kids have been able to play and be part of something and not be in this state of unknown. A lot of these kids get the chance to go to college and get a great education because of football, and football is their love and passion. The fact they’ve been able to play, I think, helps them academically because their time is so structured. I think it’s better for all of us.”
Those are well-expressed remarks from the SEC coach who would be most desirous of playing this Saturday, given that his Bulldogs were thumped 44-28 by Florida in Jacksonville last weekend and were looking for an opportunity to bounce back. Mizzou had to postpone this week’s matchup due to a shortage of defensive linemen.