Report: ACC to Move to Conference-Only Football Schedule This Fall
Following reports that the Big Ten will move to a conference-only football schedule this fall, the ACC will reportedly do the same.
Brett McMurphy of Stadium reported on Twitter on Thursday afternoon that the ACC will also be moving to cancel all non-conference football games scheduled for the fall.
ACC football also expected to play conference-only games, sources told @Stadium. Last month, ACC commish John Swofford told @Stadium if Power 5 schools played conference-only schedules that ACC would assist Notre Dame with as many games as it needed
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 9, 2020
As McMurphy reports, Notre Dame would receive assistance from the ACC in adding a couple of games to its schedule. The Irish already play six conference opponents as part of their agreement with the ACC, and would need two more games on the schedule if the rest of the FBS moves to conference-only football this fall.
As for Virginia Tech, this means that the Hokies' games against Liberty, Middle Tennessee State, and North Alabama in the month of September will not be played. The Penn State game was already canceled by virtue of the Big Ten's announcement earlier in the day on Thursday.
Assuming the college football season is played (which seems to be less-and-less likely at this point), Virginia Tech's first game will be played on Saturday, October 3rd against Georgia Tech in Blacksburg.
The ACC's pending announcement allows decision makers to postpone the start of the season by at least one month, to ensure that a safe and adequate plan is in place for student-athletes when they take the field.
It will be interesting to see what happens next, as the college sports world continues to be rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The safety of student-athletes remains at the forefront of return to play discussions, but it's anyone's guess as to what actually happens when sports are slated to return this fall.
