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  • The SEC has called off Saturday's games between Alabama and L S U and Texas A and M and Tennessee as a result of covert testing, which has depleted the Tigers and the Aggies rosters.

  • This coming on the heels of Monday's decision to postpone Auburn Mississippi State after the Bulldogs had similar issues with positive test results and subsequent contact tracing.

  • So this is really a mess.

  • Let me bring in Heather Dunwich and Paul Finebaum.

  • Good morning to both of you, Heather.

  • What more can you tell us?

  • Because right now things feel very precarious in the SEC.

  • We'll agree.

  • On Tuesday, all 14 SEC athletic directors agreed that December 19th, which is the day of the SEC conference championship game that should also be used as a make up date.

  • So that's why they didn't entirely close the door on Alabama L s U and say it's canceled.

  • Now Alabama is obviously the front runner to win the West and playing that SEC championship game, and if that happens, then the L S U game would probably be canceled.

  • But look, at the end of the day, the College Football playoff selection committee does not need to see Alabama play a struggling L S U team to figure out if it's one of the top four teams in the country.

  • But on Thursday, the SEC presidents and chancellors will review the idea of potentially using December 19th doesn't make update.

  • So I want to ask you something, and I wonder if this has been raised to them.

  • Yet as cases continue to rise all over the place, one would assume that we're going to continue to see more of this.

  • The idea of pushing everything back has that begun to be discussed by them again.

  • December 19th is one they would play these championship games.

  • December 20th is when they're supposed to choose the four teams.

  • Have they begun to consider the possibility they would have to push that date back?

  • No, there have been no conversations about that.

  • I would be surprised it's not impossible, but it would be a Herculean task.

  • And greeny.

  • Finding a TV window, as you know during NFL playoffs would be extremely difficult.

  • So you're looking at status quo January 11th Miami Gardens and that's the national championship for now.

  • But I will certainly let you know if that changes, but I highly doubt it.

  • Thank you, Paul.

  • What do you think?

  • It's a mess and you're right Greeny.

  • And there's a lot of frustration inside the SEC about player behavior.

  • What I mean by that is at this point in the season were mid November.

  • Players are getting tired of following protocols.

  • Halloween was a week and a half ago on a lot of people think maybe that was one of the super spreaders that caused these issues.

  • The biggest issue is the contact tracing.

  • It doesn't take much.

  • We've been through this movie a million times before, but what Heather said is really interesting.

  • Alabama doesn't really need to do anything else.

  • I think everyone acknowledges there there at least one of the two or three best teams in the country, if not the best.

  • But just think about that.

  • L S u Alabama game being scrubbed way sat here a year and a week ago, talking about that game literally all week.

  • All eyes were on the game.

  • The president, the United States was at that game, and the thing that that game goes by the wayside is a body blow, at least to the image of the sec.

  • Yeah.

  • I mean, that is the biggest game of the year.

  • And for those kids at L S U who are having a bad year, that could be their Super Bowl.

  • That could be the one thing they get to do this season and quickly.

  • What ramifications in your mind, Paul, Does all of this have on the playoff?

  • Ultimately?

  • Well, it probably won't seriously impacted because some of the games were seeing get postponed or canceled are not going to be Jermaine to the playoffs right now.

  • In the SEC, you have Alabama and Florida.

  • They very likely will meet in a Florida beats Alabama.

  • There are playoff serious playoff contender.

  • They'll probably get in A and M Texas A and M is sitting there in the top five or six.

  • They really don't have a path right now.

  • And that's the frustration, because they lose another game to show that they are one of the best teams in the country.

  • All right, all the stuff bears keeping an eye on, and Paul and Heather will be doing that for us.

  • No question, guys.

  • Thank you both So much for getting up early here.

  • Let us know if anything changes.

  • Thank you for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.

  • Subscribe to ESPN plus.

The SEC has called off Saturday's games between Alabama and L S U and Texas A and M and Tennessee as a result of covert testing, which has depleted the Tigers and the Aggies rosters.

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