SEC mandates

SEC football games can be rescheduled or declared a no-contest this season if one team does not meet benchmark roster requirements.

A game could be rescheduled or called off if a team does not have at least 53 scholarship players available, including 1 scholarship quarterback; 7 scholarship offensive linemen, including at least 1 scholarship center; or 4 scholarship defensive linemen available at the time of kickoff, according to SEC protocols announced Friday.

Arkansas Coach

Sam Pittman said those requirements had been discussed in a coaches meeting and the Razorbacks could meet them.

“Those will all be minimal requirements to play,” he said. “I feel very, very, very confident that we’ll be able to do that. We have three more tests, but I feel very confident that our kids will be able to quarantine themselves and stay in this bubble that we’ve been staying in and get to the game.”

The roster minimums are not required to play a game, meaning a team could elect to play if it falls under one or more benchmarks. According to the SEC, a team can request a game be rescheduled for “compelling reasons,” regardless of roster minimums. In the event a game cannot be rescheduled it will be declared a nocontest. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey will have the final say on which games are rescheduled or called off.

Teams typically have 85 players on scholarship, plus several walk-ons to create a 120-man eligible roster. However, rosters are expected to be limited at times this season due to covid-19-related protocols.

The Razorbacks have started testing three times per week.