ACC forging ahead with plans for fall sports season

The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced a plan to move forward with fall sports. The football plan eliminates most non-conference games, but maintains an 11-game season including ten conference games and one non-conference matchup to be played in the home state of the ACC institution.

The original football schedules for each member school will be scrapped and new schedules will be released at a later date. Boston College’s old schedule included matchups with Syracuse, Ohio, Kansas, Clemson, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Holy Cross, North Carolina State, Florida State, North Carolina and Wake Forest.

The game against Holy Cross was postponed when the Patriot League announced its member schools would not participate in fall sports.

Of significance in this plan is the addition of Notre Dame as a full participant in ACC competition for the 2020 season. The Fighting Irish will be eligible to compete for an ACC Championship. All television revenue, including the money Notre Dame earns from its contract with NBC Sports, will be shared equally with each member school.

Full details of the football plan:

·       The season’s first games will take place the week of Sept. 7-12

·       The 2020 scheduling model includes 11 games (10 plus one: 10 conference and one non-conference)

·       All non-conference game opponents, selected by the respective school, must be played in the home state of the ACC institution, and all non-conference opponents must meet the medical protocol requirements as agreed upon by the ACC

·       The 11 games will be played over at least 13 weeks with each team having two open dates

·       There will be one division

·       Notre Dame will also play a 10-game conference schedule and be eligible to compete in the 2020 ACC Football Championship Game

·       All television revenue for the 2020 season, including Notre Dame’s home games broadcast by NBC, will be shared equally by all 15 institutions

·       The ACC Football Championship Game will be played on either December 12 or 19 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will feature the top two teams based upon highest conference-game winning percentage 

·       All 15 teams will continue to be part of the ACC’s bowl selection process; should Notre Dame win the ACC Football Championship Game they would be eligible for the Orange Bowl, if not selected as a College Football Playoff semifinal team

·       The 2020 ACC Football week-by-week schedule and television selections will be released in the future

Should Boston College be permitted to host home football games in 2020, the capacity at Alumni Stadium will be reduced, or games could be held without fans as a result of COVID-19.  A final decision on both the capacity at Alumni Stadium and the inclusion of fans will be made at a later date.

“We continue to work closely with campus leaders, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and local, state, and federal public health authorities, in determining our plans to provide the safest environment possible inside Alumni Stadium for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans,” said Pat Kraft, BC’s Director of Athletics. “We will continue to engage with all parties as we move closer to the season, as safety is the top priority. We will communicate with our ticket holders and fans as soon as we have updates.”

Details related to other fall and winter sports are included here:

ACC Fall Olympic Sports:

·       Fall Olympic Sports competition may begin on Thursday, Sept. 10

·       Team sports will play a conference schedule that meets the NCAA minimum amount of games: field hockey (6), women’s soccer (6), men’s soccer (6) and volleyball (10)

·       Schools will continue to schedule regular season cross country competitions at their discretion

·       Any additional games against conference opponents or non-conference opponents are at the respective school’s discretion and all opponents must meet the ACC’s medical standards

·       Any additional games against conference opponents that are beyond the conference-mandated schedules would not count in the ACC standings

·       The schedule for ACC Fall Championships 

·       The cross country championships will be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. on October 30, and include all fifteen member schools

·       The field hockey championship will be held at Duke University on November 5, 6 and 8

·       The women’s soccer championship will include the top four teams and be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. on November 6 and 8, as previously announced

·       The men’s soccer championship will include the top four teams and be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. on November 13 and 15

·       Television selections via the ACC’s partnership with ESPN and ACC Network will be made in the future

ACC Winter and Spring Olympic Sports:

·       Competition in the sports of swimming and diving, indoor track and field and fencing will be postponed until at least September 10 

·       Fall competition in the sports of 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

·       Student-athletes in golf and tennis continue to be eligible to compete unattached 

·       Teams in all sports may continue practice at their institution’s discretion 

Cox Media Group