Miami, ACC plan to play 11-game schedule
The Miami Hurricanes learned who their 10 conference opponents will be in a 2020 season altered by the coronavirus pandemic and have a target start date, as the Atlantic Coast Conference released its return-to-play plan on Wednesday evening.
While Notre Dame will play in the ACC this season, UM will not see a matchup with the Fighting Irish. The Hurricanes will, however, add a showdown with Clemson.
The announcement by the ACC Board of Directors targets the week of Sept. 7-12 to get football teams returning to game action, if public health guidance allows.
“Today’s decision was made after months of thoughtful planning by numerous individuals throughout the conference,” said ACC commissioner John Swofford in a statement. “The Board’s decision presents a path, if public health guidance allows, to move forward with competition. Our institutions are committed to taking the necessary measures to facilitate the return in a safe and responsible manner. We recognize that we may need to be nimble and make adjustments in the future. We will be as prepared as possible should that need arise.”
Miami is slated play home games against Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Virginia, and have road games against Clemson, Louisville, N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Dates are yet to be determined.
“A Miami-Clemson game is one that’s going to get a lot of national exposure, which is great for the ACC,” said UM athletic director Blake James on a web conference with reporters. “It’s great for college football and it’s great for the young men in our program to have that opportunity to go and play a team like Clemson.”
In relation to what the original ACC schedule would have looked like for the Hurricanes, UM added Clemson, Louisville and N.C. State while losing a meeting with Duke, an ACC Coastal Division foe.
The ACC plan, approved by university presidents, will also include one non-conference game for a total of an 11-game schedule, a number James called “aspirational.”
James said Miami is eyeing to play one of the three between Temple, UAB and Wagner, the three non-conference opponents UM had on the schedule before alterations were made. The Hurricanes were also slated to play at Michigan State in 2020, but the Big Ten opted to keep its teams’ schedules within the conference this season.
“That’s something that we have to work on here in the coming days,” said James, who added it will be a home game played within Florida. “We need to have, whoever right, takes the our opponent is, agree to the medical standards as agreed upon by the ACC institutions, and we’ll work from there.”
The ACC Championship Game will be pushed back from Dec. 5 to either Dec. 12 or 19. There will be no divisions within the conference for the 2020 season, and the league championship game will
feature the top two teams based upon highest conference-game winning percentage.
As far as whether fans can attend Hurricanes home games, James said it remains an “if,” noting he’s hopeful Hard Rock Stadium can host fans at partial capacity.
James said his team for a game
Miami remains on track to begin official practices ahead of the season on Aug. 7. While a bubble atmosphere, which has been successful in the NBA and MLS, is not possible in college athletics, James said athletes will have to be vigilant to protect themselves and will receive proper guidance from the university.
The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to wipe out the fall season, but the biggest conferences are taking steps to try to mitigate potential disruptions to keep football on the slate.
Earlier in July, the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they will play conference-only schedules this season.
Notre Dame will play in a football conference for the first time in the 133-year history of the proudly independent program — if the season is played. Notre Dame’s 10-game ACC schedule includes Clemson at home. The school and the league agreed to equally share TV revenue — including the Fighting Irish’s deal with NBC as an independent — among the 15 schools.
“I would love to have the opportunity to play Notre Dame. I think Miami-Notre Dame is great for college football,” said James, who pointed to the ACC seeking to keep an even strength of schedule among conference teams in determining opponents this season.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this story.