Nine games. All league games. All Class 3A for football purposes.

That's the tentative alignment for 2020 awaiting the Siuslaw Vikings football team, athletic director Chris Johnson announced Wednesday.

"It could change if the (Oregon School Activities Association) Executive Board doesn't approve the Ad Hoc Committee's recommendation," Johnson said in an email to the Exploding Whale Sports, Coast Radio and the Siuslaw News.

"It could change after the 2/25 football 3A scheduling meeting."

The tentative 2020 schedule:

• Sept. 4 — at South Umpqua (Tri City)
• Sept. 11 — Brookings-Harbor
• Sept. 18 — Sisters  
• Sept. 25 — Sutherlin
• Oct. 2 — at Harrisburg
• Oct. 9 — at La Pine
• Oct. 16 — Pleasant Hill
• Oct. 23 — Santiam Christian
• Oct. 30 — at Junction City

Three teams currently assigned to the 13-school Class 3A Special District 2 are not on the Vikings' schedule — Douglas and Medford schools Cascade Christian and St. Mary's.

The long-standing rival game with Newport appears to be a victim of this schedule.

With games at Harrisburg and Junction City and a manageable visit to Tri City to play South Umpqua, it's an agreeable schedule. Only the game to La Pine will be a travel challenge.

That will change in 2021 if the schedule is reversed, and the five road games include trips to Brookings-Harbor, Sisters, Adair Village (Santiam Christian), Sutherlin and Pleasant Hill.

A quick glimpse at the opponents:

• South Umpqua was 1-4 in Special District 2 South in 2019 and 2-7 overall. The Vikings and Lancers are recent members of the Far West League.
• Brookings-Harbor was 2-3 in Special District 2 South in 2019 and 6-4 overall, losing a first-round game at Amity, 44-18. The Vikings and Bruins are recent members of the Far West League.
• Sisters is moving down a classification after going 2-3 in 4A Special District 3 and 2-6 overall in 2019. One of the Outlaws' wins last season was 16-0 at Philomath. Sisters was 1-7 in 2018.
• Sutherlin was 4-1 in 3A Special District 2 North in 2019 and 7-3 overall, including a 56-18 victory over Siuslaw. Sutherlin lost in the first round of the state 3A playoffs at Cascade Christian, 54-28.
• Harrisburg was 1-4 in Special District 2 North in 2019 and 3-6 overall, losing at Siuslaw, 64-8.
• La Pine was 0-5 in Special District 2 North in 2019 and 3-6 overall, losing at Siuslaw, 32-0.
• Pleasant Hill was 2-3 in Special District 2 North in 2019 and 4-5 overall, losing at Siuslaw, 44-15.
• Santiam Christian was 3A state champion in 2019, finishing 5-0 in Special District 2 North, 13-0 overall and beating visiting Siuslaw on Senior Night at Adair Village, 50-15.
• Junction City also is moving down a classification after going 1-3 in 4A Special District 4 and 1-7 overall last season. Junction City was 0-7 in 2018.

The 3A state playoffs this coming season will feature 16 teams — six teams each from Special Districts 1 and 2, two from Special District 3 and the final two based on final rankings.

Special District 1 teams include Amity, Blanchet Catholic, Clatskanie, Corbett, Dayton, Philomath, Rainier, Scio, Taft, Warrenton, Willamina and Yamhill-Carlton.

Special District 3 includes Baker, Burns, La Grande, McLoughlin/Griswold, Nyssa, Ontario and Vale.

The Vikings, 0-8 in 2018, were 6-4 last season under first-year coach Samuel Johnson, a Siuslaw graduate.