Which Alabama colleges are playing football this year?
Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the UAB Blazers have put together an 11-game schedule, beginning Thursday vs. Central Arkansas at Legion Field. (UAB Athletics)
The final home season for the UAB football team at Legion Field was likely to be memorable. In the midst of a pandemic, it’ll certainly be unforgettable.
Coach Bill Clark’s team has scheduled 11 games this fall, kicking off on Thursday with a home game at 7 p.m. against Central Arkansas. This is set to be UAB’s last campaign at the stadium on Graymont Avenue before moving uptown to Protective Stadium.
The team will start the season with three Thursday night games in a row, including back-to-back nationally televised games at Miami on Sept. 10 and at South Alabama on Sept. 24. UAB and Miami is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central Time on the ACC Network, while the game at South Alabama will air on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. Central Time.
A crowd watches the UAB Blazers play at Birmingham’s Legion Field in 2017. The 2020 season will be the Blazers’ last at the stadium before moving their home games to the new Protective Stadium in 2021. (Jimmy Mitchell)
The Blazers and Louisiana have reached an agreement for a game at Legion Field on Friday, Oct. 23. The two recently added games round out UAB’s 2020 slate with the Blazers set to play six home games.
Central Arkansas and Louisiana replace games against New Mexico State and Alabama A&M that were lost when those teams postponed their seasons.
The recent schedule change has forced the Blazers to push the fast-forward button in preparation for their first game of 2020.
“In all that COVID time, I was sitting around the house doing Zoom on New Mexico State, Alabama A&M,” Clark said. “We just really had to go and look at these guys (Central Arkansas) quickly.
“Obviously, all I need to say is they beat Western Kentucky (in the) opening game last year at Western Kentucky. That says at all.”
On and off the field, the Blazers are preparing to face their opponent while working to keep the coronavirus at bay.
“I think we’re controlling what we can control, doing what we’re supposed to do,” Clark said. “We’ve got testing going on every week, so I feel good about us. Obviously, there are students back on campus, but all our students, I think, are being tested. It’s just continuing to be smart, wear your mask.
“I sound like a broken record, but let’s be safe, let’s be smart, let’s play.”
No trek to the Swamp for Jags
South Alabama was originally scheduled to travel to Gainesville, Florida to take on the Gators on Saturday, Sept. 19. But the announcement that the Southeastern Conference – including Alabama and Auburn – will play a conference-only slate means that the Jaguars and Gators won’t play.
USA will kick off the 2020 fall campaign at Southern Mississippi on Thursday, Sept. 3 – with game time in Hattiesburg set for 7 p.m. The following week, Tulane will visit for the first-ever game at the new Hancock Whitney Stadium at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12.
It will be the first meeting between South Alabama and the Green Wave since the Jags picked up a 41-39 win in New Orleans on Sept. 7, 2013. The Jaguars welcome UAB on Sept. 26.
Gamecocks to play twice in state this fall
The Jacksonville State football team will play two games in Alabama this fall, hosting Mercer on Oct. 10 and traveling to North Alabama on Oct. 17.
The Jacksonville State University Gamecocks will play a four-game season, including a game at longtime rival North Alabama and a home game against Mercer. (Jacksonville State University Athletics)
The matchups give Jacksonville State football fans the opportunity to watch the Gamecocks play close to home in back-to-back weeks this fall. Game times and ticket information will be released when those details are available.
The game against Mercer will be at Burgess-Snow Field and secures one of the things Athletic Director Greg Seitz had at the top of his wish list when putting together the four nonconference games allowed by the Ohio Valley Conference during the fall. The OVC put off conference play until spring.
“One of our top priorities in putting together the best four games possible for the fall was to make sure we were able to play at least one home game,” he said. “I’ve said numerous times that we have the best fans in the FCS and for us to be able to give them a chance to see their team play in person was very important to us during this difficult season. This home game, along with the rescheduling of our game at UNA, gives Gamecock fans two consecutive weeks where they can see us play.”
JSU and Florida State announced an Oct. 3 matchup in Tallahassee, Fla. Seitz continues to work toward completing a four-game slate for the Gamecocks this fall.
“We feel very good about the schedule that we’ve been able to put together so far,” he said. “We are very close to wrapping up the schedule and look forward to finalizing our four games in the coming days.”
Troy has a 12-game slate
Troy Athletics announced a revamped 2020 football schedule with new games against BYU, Middle Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky and a rescheduled game with ULM.
Troy now opens the season against ULM on Sept. 5 at The Vet in a Sun Belt Conference game, and Troy will host Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 17, the original date for the ULM contest. Additionally, the Trojans travel to BYU on Sept. 26 and play an in-season home-and-home series with Middle Tennessee (Sept. 19 and Nov. 21).
Kickoff time for Troy and ULM will be announced as ESPN finalizes its selections for the opening weekend.
“In the most unpredictable and most unprecedented times in college athletics and college football, we were able to put together a very exciting, competitive, regional and dynamic schedule for our student-athletes and fans,” Director of Athletics Brent Jones said. “I am very pleased how the schedule came together as we lost all four of our nonconference games. The last three weeks have been extremely grueling; however, we intend to play football this fall. I would like to thank our University administration led by Dr. Jack Hawkins, as well as our amazing student-athletes, coaches and staff for their support.”
The new schedule maintains a six-game home slate for the Trojans and a full 12-game overall schedule; as of Thursday’s release, Troy is one of just six schools in the country playing a 12-game schedule.
Three new foes and an old rival face UNA
The University of North Alabama completed its 2020 fall football schedule with the announcement that the Lions will open the season on Oct. 3 in Lynchburg, Virginia, against FBS opponent Liberty University.
The addition of Liberty gives North Alabama three FBS opponents on its 2020 slate. UNA will play at Southern Mississippi on Nov. 7 and at Brigham Young on Nov. 21.
North Alabama’s only home game this fall will be against longtime rival Jacksonville State at Braly Stadium on Oct. 17. The schedule allows an off week for the Lions between each game.
The games will mark UNA’s first meetings ever with Liberty, Southern Mississippi and BYU in football. The Jacksonville State series dates back to UNA’s first football game in 1949 when the sport was revived at the school. The two schools have met 47 times previously, but the Gamecocks have not played in Florence at Braly Stadium since 1992.
North Alabama is in its third year of transition to Division I and FCS football and is one of only a handful of FCS teams pursuing a 2020 fall schedule.
Coach Mike Turk’s Huntingdon Hawks are one of eight Alabama college teams that won’t be playing football this fall. Seven colleges in the state have either full or abbreviated fall schedules. (Huntingdon College Athletics)
Huntingdon Hawks grounded this fall
Huntingdon Football coach Mike Turk has been using a hammer rather than trying to nail down starting positions for his Division III Hawks in Montgomery.
“Around the house, we’re in the middle of a kitchen remodel,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of the work ourselves. That keeps me busy after-hours.”
Any other year, the fall season is synonymous with football. Specifically, college football.
But this fall – like this year – is like no other fall. College football has largely fallen victim to COVID-19.
Most football programs in the state surrendered to the pandemic – and the leadership of their respective conferences – by not taking the field this fall. That majority is sitting out the traditional autumn season, opting instead to play in the spring.
Other state college football programs sitting out fall 2020 are Samford, Birmingham-Southern, Miles, Tuskegee, Alabama A&M, Alabama State and West Alabama.
