SAN MARCOS – While several college football conferences like the SEC and the Pac-12 have canceled their non-conference schedules outright, Texas State has decided to buck the trend.
On Monday afternoon, Bobcats athletic director Larry Teis announced that the date for the program’s home game against the SMU Mustangs had been moved up by a week to Saturday, Aug. 29. The game had originally been scheduled for the following Saturday, Sept. 5. August 29 is also the first day that the NCAA will allow teams to begin their seasons. Texas State is still scheduled to face UTSA in San Marcos on Sept. 12.
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Aside from the benefit of creating another bye week, Texas State is using the move to give themselves more scheduling flexibility in case the coronavirus pandemic forces them to restructure their schedule late in the season.
We're coming back strong a week earlier! Feels good to be back! #EatEmUp
— Texas State Bobcats (@TxStateBobcats) August 3, 2020
📅: August 29
🆚: SMU
🏟️: Bobcat Stadium
🎟️: https://t.co/USJMrcjG4i
Full schedule --> https://t.co/H832yvR5rb pic.twitter.com/S3mk4qVL9u
“With the season being permitted to start on August 29 as scheduled, this move will give us extra time between our first two home games to manage any variety of possible circumstances that may occur,” said Teis. “Our original schedule did not have any open dates in Sept. This improves our approach to managing the conditions of these unprecedented times safely.”
No specific COVID-19 protocols for game day have been finalized as of yet. Stadium capacity and safety regulations will be announced later, but the team is selling tickets, so it does appear that fans will be allowed to attend to some degree.