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SWAC becomes first conference to reveal spring football plans

The SWAC became the first conference to announce plans for a spring football season on Monday.

The plan is for each team to play six conference games and one nonconference game beginning Feb. 27.

Every team will take off the week of March 13 so fans can attend the men's and women's basketball tournaments.

The regular season will end April 24 and the SWAC championship will be played May 1.

The SWAC, which is made up of historically Black colleges, competes in the FCS.

According to the news release, the conference "will remain prepared to make any necessary adjustments identified to be in the best interest of the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes."

"The SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors, Sports Administrators Committee, COVID-19 Advisory Committee, along with our fall sports scheduling groups have worked tirelessly over recent months to get to the point where we are able to announce a significant part of the rescheduling of our fall sports," SWAC commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland said in a statement.

"Collectively as a conference, we look forward to continuing on the path to a safe return to competition that we know all of our student-athletes, team staff, institutional administrators and supporters would like to see in the coming months. This schedule allows the needed flexibility for any additional adjustments that will need to be made once the NCAA releases its revised spring calendar. Clearly our plans in regards to the safe return to competition within our league will ultimately be dictated by the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in the respective regions of our member institutions."

The SWAC announced that it would postpone all fall sports on July 30.

On Aug. 11, the Big Ten and Pac-12 became the first Power 5 conferences to postpone fall sports, although neither has announced plans for a spring football season.