Altered Miami football schedule released by ACC includes Clemson

As has been recently suspected the ACC announced an altered schedule for the Miami football program and the rest of the conference for the 2020 season.

After meeting on Wednesday, the ACC announced an altered schedule for the Miami football program and the rest of the conference. The Atlantic and Coastal Divisions will not be utilized in 2020 and Notre Dame will be a full football-playing member. The two ACC Championship teams will be determined by winning percentage.

The ACC Medical Advisory Board played a part in determining the 2020 conference football schedule. Their full report can be found here. Miami will play Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Virginia at home with dates still to be determined.

Miami will play on the road at Clemson, Louisville, N.C. State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. Miami was scheduled to at Georgia Tech and Virginia. Clemson, Louisville and North Carolina State are additions to the Miami football schedule. Miami is no longer playing Duke in 2020.

The updated schedule included a mandate from the ACC that the one non-conference games must be played in the ACC’s home state. That would seem to rule out any non-conference games against Big XII or SEC teams not previously scheduled at ACC stadiums. Miami was scheduled to host Temple, Wagner and UAB in September.

The ACC issued a statement in a press release that included an explanation of how scheduling was determined, what to expect with how it will play out and how the ACC Championship game participants will be determined. Notre Dame is part of the ACC in Football for the 2020 season only.

"“As we look ahead to the fall, the safety of our students, staff and overall campus community continues to be our top priority,” said Kent Syverud, Chancellor of Syracuse University and the Chair of the ACC Board of Directors.“Today’s announcement outlines a specific path for ACC fall sports to return to intercollegiate athletic competition using comprehensive protocols put forward by our ACC Medical Advisory Group.As a league, we understand the need to stay flexible and be prepared to adjust as medical information evolves in conjunction with local and stat health guidelines…Today’s decision was made after months of thoughtful planning by numerous individuals throughout the conference,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford.“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.”"

ACC Football:

• The season’s first games will take place the week of Sept. 7-12
• The 2020 scheduling model includes 11 games (10 plus one: 10 conference and one non-conference)
• All non-conference game opponents, selected by the respective school, must be played in the home state of the ACC institution, and all non-conference opponents must meet the medical protocol requirements as agreed upon by the ACC
• The 11 games will be played over at least 13 weeks with each team having two open dates
• There will be one division
• Notre Dame will also play a 10-game conference schedule and be eligible to compete in the 2020 ACC Football Championship Game
• All television revenue for the 2020 season, including Notre Dame’s home games broadcast by NBC, will be shared equally by all 15 institutions
• The ACC Football Championship Game will be played on either December 12 or 19 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will feature the top two teams based upon highest conference-game winning percentage
• All 15 teams will continue to be part of the ACC’s bowl selection process; should Notre Dame win the ACC Football Championship Game they would be eligible for the Orange Bowl, if not selected as a College Football Playoff semifinal team
• The 2020 ACC Football week-by-week schedule and television selections will be released in the future.

The change in schedule pushes the 2020 football season back at least two days. The Miami football season was scheduled to begin at Hard Rock Stadium on September 5 against Temple. The ACC and the Miami football program will announce dates, times and the sole non-conference game at a later date.

The decision to include Notre Dame and for the Fighting Irish to contribute to revenue sharing to the ACC was the most equitable and sensible for the conference as a whole. It does not mean Notre Dame will or should compete in the ACC in future years. The Fighting Irish competing in other sports is good for the ACC.

The Hurricanes schedule has gotten more difficult in the ACC with the new schedule. The Hurricanes have replaced Duke with Clemson, an up and coming Louisville program and road game at North Carolina State. The season will be completed in a 13-week window with all 15 ACC teams having two bye weeks.