ACC Football Season in Jeopardy If Fewer Than 8 Teams Can Play Amid Pandemic

As the ACC begins football competition Saturday, a full season and playoffs is far from guaranteed, according to documents released by Virginia Tech. 

ESPN's Andrea Adelson reported the conference could postpone or cancel its season if at least eight of its 15 member programs are unable to field a team. The news comes as Virginia Tech and Virginia postponed their September 19 game because of "COVID-19 issues."

The ACC, which includes Notre Dame football this season, could also end its season if either the Big 12 or SEC cancel their seasons. All decisions will be made by the ACC board of directors. 

The board, made up of the league's presidents and chancellors, released a statement explaining the health and safety considerations going forward at the start of the season:

"The ACC will regularly monitor the changing situation and is prepared at any time to adjust schedules and games to reflect changes in that situation. The ACC will also respect the decisions of individual schools as they continually assess the public health situation affecting their students and communities. As it has done all year, the ACC will carefully reevaluate the public health needs as we go along, relying on public health expertise and putting the health and safety of our surrounding communities at the center of our decision-making."

There are four areas that require monitoring, according to Adelson: state and local policies, as well as those from individual campuses, that could affect teams' ability to play; issues on individual campuses that prevent practices or games going ahead; COVID-19 outbreaks on teams that results in seasons being canceled; and the safety of travel.

Additionally, Adelson noted schools will need at least seven scholarship offensive lineman available to play in order to proceed with football games. 

"The safety, as well as the physical and mental well-being of these young men and women entrusted to our care by their families remains our top priority," Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock wrote after the postponement announcement. "While we share the disappointment of everyone who hoped to begin the football season against our in-state rival, we remain optimistic that a full ACC football schedule can be played thanks to the flexibility the present format permits."