SEC and ACC continue on path to football after major conferences cancel

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 21: Nathan Cottrell #31, David Curry #6 and Tyler Davis #9 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets walk to the field prior to the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 21, 2019 in Atlanta,

After the Big Ten and the Pac-12 announced their decisions to postpone their football seasons, both the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference say they are staying the course.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 made their announcements on Tuesday. Both conferences say they hope to be able to play football in the spring.

The SEC recently announced a move to a conference-only schedule this season, and a pushed back starting date.

“I look forward to learning more about the factors that led the Big Ten and Pac-12 leadership to take these actions today," said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey in a statement. "I remain comfortable with the thorough and deliberate approach that the SEC and our 14 members are taking to support a healthy environment for our student-athletes.  We will continue to further refine our policies and protocols for a safe return to sports as we monitor developments around COVID-19 in a continued effort to support, educate and care for our student-athletes every day.”

The ACC also made tweaks to their schedule aimed at reducing COVID-19 risks. They are allowing each team one non-conference game on their schedules.

""The safety of our students, staff and overall campus communities will always be our top priority, and we are pleased with the protocols being administrated on our 15 campuses," said a statement posted by the ACC on Twitter. "We will continue to follow our process that has been in place for months and has served us well."