ACC set to go full speed ahead with fall sports, revises football schedules to include 10 ACC games and one non-conf. game
After scrambling to devise a plan as the coronavirus pandemic continues to complicate athletic endeavors, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Wednesday a revised football schedule and a plan to move forward with all seven fall season sports “if public health guidance allows.”
Under the new plan, ACC football teams and Notre Dame will each play 10 games against ACC foes, and one game against an opponent outside the ACC. ACC teams and Notre Dame will all be eligible to play in an ACC championship game, which will take place Dec. 12 or 19 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Participants in the football title game will be determined based on conference-game winning percentage in the ACC’s single-division conference.
“(Wednesday’s) decision was made after months of thoughtful planning by numerous individuals throughout the conference,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement released by the conference. “The (Board of Directors’) decision presents a path, if public health guidance allows, to move forward with competition. Our institutions are committed to taking the necessary measures to facilitate the return in a safe and responsible manner. We recognize that we may need to be nimble and make adjustments in the future. We will be as prepared as possible should that need arise.”
The revised football season will begin with games the week of Sept. 7-12. All 11 games will be played over the course of at least 13 weeks, with each team having two open weeks on their schedules.
Virginia’s new football schedule features home games against Boston College, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina and N.C. State. U.Va. will travel to play games at Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Virginia Tech will host BC, Clemson, Miami, N.C. State and U.Va. The Hokies will go on the road to play at Duke, Louisville, UNC, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest.
The week-by-week schedule and television selections will be released in the future, according to the ACC. Non-conference games, which will be selected by the ACC schools, must be played in the home state of the participating ACC team, and all non-conference foes must meet medical protocol requirements set by the ACC.
A minimum set of standards for each ACC campus to follow as fall sports return has been recommended by the ACC’s Medical Advisory Group. The recommendations include weekly testing for close contact sports, standards for reporting positive test results and protocols for cleaning and sanitizing competition areas.
In addition to the revised football schedule, the ACC also announced all television revenue for the season, including Notre Dame’s home games broadcast by NBC, will be shared equally by all 15 participating colleges in ACC play.
All 15 teams will be part of the ACC’s bowl selection process. If Notre Dame wins the ACC Championship, it will be eligible for the Orange Bowl, if the Fighting Irish isn’t selected for the College Football Playoff.
Fall season competition in men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, rowing, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball and baseball has been canceled. Practices may continue at the discretion of individual schools.
Norm Wood, 757-247-4642, nwood@dailypress.com
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