The ACC Board of Directors announced a plan to play fall sports, including football, on Wednesday. Football is slated to begin the week of September 7. There will be no divisions and each team will play a 10-game ACC schedule and the option of one non-conference game against a team that meets the league’s minimum medical standards.
Posted July 29, 2020 5:24 p.m. EDTUpdated July 29, 2020 6:49 p.m. EDT By Lauren Brownlow, WRALSportsFan columnist/reporter The ACC Board of Directors met on Wednesday and decided that it will indeed attempt to play a fall sports schedule, including football, « if public health allows ». Football will begin the week of September 7, and the teams will play a 10-game conference schedule with one extra game allowed against a non-conference opponent that meets the medical protocol requirements set forth by the league. The non-conference game has to be played in the home state of each ACC team, the league said. There will not be an Atlantic Division or a Coastal Division this year either, and Notre Dame will be allowed to play as an ACC member (it is currently a member in every sport except football). The Irish will have to split television money equally among its fellow ACC members this year, though. None of the game times were announced as of yet, but the schedule will allow for 11 total games to take place over at least 13 weeks with teams having at least two open dates (which was standard even before this season). Each team’s home and road opponents were announced, but no dates. The game times and networks will be released later, the release says. “As we look ahead to the fall, the safety of our students, staff and overall campus community continues to be our top priority,” Kent Syverud, Chancellor of Syracuse University and the Chair of the ACC Board of Directors, said in the release. “Today’s announcement outlines a specific path for ACC fall sports to return to intercollegiate athletic competition using comprehensive protocols put forward by our ACC Medical Advisory Group. As a league, we understand the need to stay flexible and be prepared to adjust as medical information evolves in conjunction with local and state health guidelines.
