Texas A&M-Commerce has become the first college football program in Texas to cancel all competition for the 2020-21 academic year. The Lions will not play any games in the fall, and will opt out of a potential spring Lone Star Conference season. 

The Lone Star Conference announced on Aug. 7 that all fall football conference competition will be pushed to the spring. The decision came as the NCAA opted to cancel all Division II championships for the academic year.

Afterwards, the Lions decided that without the chance to play for a championship in 2020-21, there was no reason to play outside competition. Instead, the Lions will use both the fall and spring as preparation and practice time in anticipation for a normal Fall 2021 schedule. 

Texas Football magazine selected Texas A&M-Commerce to win the Lone Star Conference championship, and considered the Lions a top contender for the national championship. 

Texas A&M-Commerce coach David Bailiff spoke to Texas Football after fall championships were cancelled. He believes that the time off will only inpsire his players even more to chase a national championship in Fall 2021. 

"I think it'll make these guys even more hungry because they miss it," Bailiff said. "They get a great education here, but they live and breathe football...think if in the great state of Texas you told deer hunters they didn't have a season. They'd sure get upset too."

Texas A&M-Commerce plans to bring back all seniors who want to return on scholarship. Redshirt seniors DB Dominique Ramsey and OL Amon Simon rank among the best in the nation at their positions. 

The Lions went 11-3 in Bailiff's first season and advanced to the third round of the Division II Playoffs.