BATON ROUGE - Leaders of the Southeastern Conference officially adopted a plan cutting back the football season to just 10 games and eliminating match-ups with out-of-conference opponents.

Presidents of the SEC approved the proposal Thursday limiting the season to 10 games, played against opponents within the conference, during a virtual meeting Thursday. 

Important: With SEC going conference-only, some schools may find it easier to get out of “buy game” contracts.

In some SEC contracts, a change from the conference in "scheduling format" could provide an out.

In 2017, SEC teams paid out $45M in buy gameshttps://t.co/XjpJx062ba

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 30, 2020

The revised season will kick off later than originally expected, Sept. 26. The winners of the conferences two divisions will play out the conference championship game Dec. 19.

The NCAA Board of Governors is also expected to meet next week to discuss potential contingencies for the upcoming season. 

LSU announced Thursday afternoon, it'd release an updated schedule with additional SEC matchups "at a later date" and after approval from SEC athletic directors. 

You can read the full statement from LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward below.

“Today is an exciting day for all of us who love college football in the SEC. The toughest conference in college football is going to battle it out in historic fashion. Tiger Stadium and our National Championship Football team will play host to five SEC opponents in a 10-game, all-SEC regular-season schedule.

“As a conference we have been aligned in this process from the beginning and I want to thank Commissioner Sankey for his leadership during this unprecedented time. There is still a great deal of work to be done and many important decisions to be made, but this is a big step in the right direction for our conference, our school and our student-athletes.

“Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our student-athletes. We, as SEC member institutions, are continuing to engage in deliberate and informed discussions on planning for the safety of student-athletes, coaches and staff. We will continue to follow the guidance of medical professionals in our decision making, including the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force. Together, and with the direction of state public health officials, we are focused on a safe return to competition.”

Woodward later sent the following letter to ticket holders:

Today, the SEC announced the toughest conference in college football is going to battle it out in historic fashion. Tiger Stadium and our National Championship Football team will play host to five SEC opponents in a 10-game, all-SEC regular-season schedule. This has never happened before and we want to make sure you, our loyal ticketholders, are given timely information regarding your season tickets.

Because of important public-health guidelines, we are anticipating reduced capacity at Tiger Stadium. Season ticket holders and student tickets will be prioritized. 

As I know some of our ticket holders may not be able to attend games this year, I want you to know you have options to retain your seats if you choose to opt out of the 2020 season for any reason.

If you choose to opt out of the 2020 season, we are offering several options for you to review below. We are not asking for your decision today. You will be able to submit your choice to the ticket office via a form we will send to you next week.

If you choose to retain your seats for the 2020 season, there is nothing you need to do at this time. Once a final capacity and schedule is determined, the ticket office will be in contact with you on next steps regarding any changes to ticket price and seat allotments.

Three options will be available for ticketholders who choose to opt out of the 2020 season.

1. Make a Tax-Deductible Donation

Season ticketholders can choose to opt out of the 2020 season by donating their ticket costs and seat contributions to the Victory Fund at the Tiger Athletic Foundation. The Victory Fund has been set up to help support LSU Athletics during the financial challenges resulting from the spread of COVID-19. Choosing this tax-deductible option would also secure the opportunity to retain your seats for 2021. We will provide full details on this offer to you next week.

2. Rollover to 2021

As renewals for 2021 are scheduled to begin in November, if you want to opt-out of your 2020 seats you can simply apply your seat contribution and ticket costs to 2021 in order to retain your season-tickets for next season without having to process a new payment.

3. Request a Full Refund

Full refunds for ticket price and seat contributions can be requested from the ticket office via the form that will be sent next week. LSU ticketholders who request a full refund will be given the option to retain their seats for 2021 through a non-refundable deposit.

We’re excited to welcome everyone back to Tiger Stadium in September and we will be in touch with you soon with more details on this plan. I want to also stress safety for all of us. If you have a preexisting condition, feel sick, or have other safety concerns for you or your family, we want you to stay home and watch the games on television. Your support is important, however your safety and the wellbeing of your family is more important. We will continue to be in touch as our plans for fall sports unfold.

Geaux Tigers!

LSU's 2020 Game Schedule

vs. Ole Miss, Sept. 26

at Florida, Oct. 10

at Arkansas, Oct. 17

vs. Mississippi State, Oct. 24

vs. Alabama, Nov. 7

vs. South Carolina, Nov. 14

at Auburn, Nov. 21

at Texas A&M, Nov. 28

*The SEC championship game will be Dec. 19, two weeks later than originally planned*