Notre Dame-Wake Forest postponed; Mountain West eyes fall
As the Atlantic Coast Conference worked Tuesday to reschedule another league game postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak within one of its teams, the Mountain West was zeroing in on a possible late October start to its football season.
No. 7 Notre Dame’s game at Wake Forest on Saturday was postponed after positive COVID-19 tests landed 13 Fighting Irish players in isolation and another 10 in quarantine.
The schools said they were working with the ACC to reschedule the game. Both teams have off Oct. 3.
Mountain West university presidents moved up a scheduled Friday meeting to Thursday, a person with knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press.
It was unclear whether the Mountain West presidents would vote Thursday on any proposals, the person said.
Mountain West athletic directors are aiming for an Oct. 24 or Oct. 31 start for the football season. The conference is close to an agreement that will provide its 12 schools with the capacity to perform daily COVID-19 antigen tests on its athletes, the person said.
The Pac-12’s CEO Group of presidents and chancellors is also meeting Thursday and is expected to make a decision on whether the conference can start its football season as soon as Halloween weekend. The Pac-12 announced early this month it had acquired daily COVID-19 testing for its members.
The Big Ten announced last week it will kick off its football season the weekend of Oct. 24. The conference plans to start testing its fall sport athletes daily on Sept. 30.
The hope is daily testing will prevent those who are infected from spreading the virus and cut down on the number of people who end up in quarantine because they were in close contact with someone who tested positive.
Notre Dame said 94 football players were tested for COVID-19 on Monday and of those seven were positive. Those players were in isolation along with others who tested positive last week.
The school is pausing all football-related activities until further testing is complete.
Notre Dame-Wake Forest is the 18th game involving major college teams to be postponed or canceled by COVID-19 issues since Aug. 26 and the third ACC game.
Also Tuesday, No. 18 BYU announced that its first next two games will be played without fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. The school said health officials in the state had moved Provo from low to moderate COVID-19 risks, which prompted the switch to no fans for Saturday’s game against Troy and the Oct. 2 game against Louisiana Tech.
Mullen’s Florida staff receives nearly $500K before pandemic
GAINESVILLE, FLA. » Florida coach Dan Mullen didn’t get a raise or an extension after his team’s 11-2 finish last season. His staff got the money. Mullen’s assistants got bumps totaling $490,000, according to contracts released by the school. The deals were signed in February, a month before the university was partially closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to the 10 football assistants, strength and conditioning coordinator Nick Savage received a $150,000 raise and will earn $450,000 in each of the next three years.
All 10 assistants receive a $10,000 stipend from the school’s apparel deal with Nike and a $1,500 academic incentive if the Gators perform well in the classroom.
Minnesota star WR Bateman wants to opt back in
MINNEAPOLIS » Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman has decided to opt back in for the 2020 season in light of the Big Ten’s resumption of fall competition, contingent on the star junior gaining the necessary eligibility clearance.
Coach P.J. Fleck confirmed Bateman has rejoined the Gophers for practice. Because Bateman signed with an agency this summer in anticipation of declaring for the next NFL draft, his playing status has not yet been established.
Bateman had 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in 13 games for the Gophers last year.