Big 12 teams may need to scramble for replacement games with FCS football in jeopardy
Just when it looked like Big 12 football teams were on the verge of locking in opponents and dates for the abbreviated non-conference portion of their 2020 schedules, an unexpected curve ball may force many athletic directors within the league to find replacement games on short notice.
The curveball comes from the FCS ranks, where teams and conferences across the country have opted not to play football this fall.
Big 12 teams are paying close attention to those decisions, because they could directly affect their season-opening games.
The Missouri Valley Conference, which is home to North Dakota (K-State opponent), Missouri State (Oklahoma opponent), South Dakota (Iowa State opponent), Western Illinois (Oklahoma State opponent) and Southern Illinois (Kansas opponent), will reportedly announce plans to cancel fall sports.
But those aren’t the only Big 12 teams that might be looking for replacement opponents to fill new gaps on their schedules over the weekend. A new NCAA rule states that in order to hold a championship for a sport this season, at least half the teams in a college division must participate. As cancellations mounts, it’s starting to look like no FCS teams will take the field in the fall.
If that happens, other Big 12 teams will be working the phone lines. TCU was expected to open against Tennessee Tech, West Virginia was supposed to play Eastern Kentucky, Baylor had a game scheduled with Incarnate Word and Texas Tech just finalized a matchup with Houston Baptist.
Some have suggested it might be possible for FCS teams to play select non-conference matchups while punting conference games and the playoff to the spring. Still, all of those games are now in jeopardy.
The only teams that can feel somewhat certain about their plans under the Big 12’s new plus-one schedule model are Texas (vs. UTEP), Oklahoma State (vs. Tulsa) and Baylor (vs. Louisiana Tech). But even those games seem subject to change during these uncertain times.
Recent developments leave big questions within the Sunflower State, as both KU and K-State could be left scrambling for a new game.
The Jayhawks have already lost non-conference games against Boston College and New Hampshire and replaced them with a home game against Southern Illinois. But if the Salukis aren’t allowed to visit Lawrence in a few weeks, athletic director Jeff Long will need to find an alternate opponent that can.
The Wildcats have already lost one home game against Vanderbilt and might be on the verge of losing two more with Buffalo and North Dakota. The Mid-American Conference, which is home to Buffalo, has not yet decided on a schedule model for the upcoming season, but the league is considering canceling fall sports, according to multiple reports. The MAC is expected to make a decision Saturday.
If those games fall through, K-State will also need to find a replacement opponent to complete its schedule.
Fortunately, there should be a plethora of teams looking for games from outside the power conferences. Three smaller FBS conferences (American, C-USA, Sun Belt) are allowing their teams to play as many as four non-conference games this season, while the Mountain West is allowing its teams to play two.
“Right now, so many teams need games out there,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor told 580 Talk Radio in Topeka on Thursday. “Even if we don’t play a UND or Buffalo, there are teams. And we’ll get a non-conference opponent.”
A source said K-State has already begun making back-up plans by reaching out to teams from those leagues in the event neither Buffalo nor North Dakota can play at Bill Snyder Family Stadium this season. The source said to keep an eye on Arkansas State, which has openings on Sept. 12 and 19, as a potential replacement option.
Finding a new opponent could be especially taxing for teams like Kansas and Iowa State, which have already signed game contracts with replacement teams this summer. But it also might be a necessity.