COVID-19 puts SEC slate in flux

The Southeastern Conference is taking a hit from COVID-19.

The conference on Monday postponed Saturday’s game between No. 20 Auburn and Mississippi State because of positive COVID-19 cases and quarantining within the Bulldogs’ program.

The SEC requires programs to have at least 53 scholarship players available for games. Mississippi State coach Mike Leach, above, said the Bulldogs were just a player away from having to postpone last Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt.

No. 5 Texas A&M paused in-person activities after a player and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a win at South Carolina. LSU is battling an outbreak that could put Saturday’s game against No. 1 Alabama in jeopardy.

And Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has tested positive and could miss the game at No. 6 Florida.

The stop-and-start nature of college sports in the pandemic is familiar by now, but the cluster of problems was a reminder how fragile the season is. The problems Monday extended beyond the SEC, too: Michigan State announced that men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo has tested positive for COVID-19, the Mountain West canceled Air Force’s scheduled football game at Wyoming on Saturday due to an “upward trend” of COVID-19 cases at the academy and the Pac-12 opened its season over the weekend with two games postponed (California-Washington and Arizona-Utah).

Mississippi State’s game against Auburn has been tentatively rescheduled for Dec. 12 in Starkville, Mississippi.