Another ACC game postponed
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 10 more 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. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the league is not making its move toward a possible return to fall sports public.
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.
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.
Also Tuesday, No. 18 Brigham Young 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.
Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman has decided to opt back in for the 2020 football season in light of the Big Ten’s resumption of fall competition, contingent on the star junior gaining the necessary eligibility clearance.