ACC Announces Plans for Football Season, Other Fall Sports

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The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced its 2020 plans for football and fall Olympic sports.

The ACC Board of Directors said Wednesday that if public health guidance allows, all seven ACC-sponsored fall sports will begin competition the week of Sept. 7 to 12. Those sports include football, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, field hockey, and men’s and women’s cross country.

The schedules and broadcast designations for fall sports will be announced in the future.

The UVA Department of Athletics, in conjunction with state and University officials, will announce guidelines for fans in attendance at home sporting events in the future.

Virginia football ticket holders will receive information via email about tickets and parking once the schedule is announced and guidelines are established for attendance at Scott Stadium.

Football

The 2020 football scheduling model includes 11 games, 10 against conference teams and one non-conference contest. UVA’s 2020 ACC home opponents will include (in alphabetical order): Boston College, Duke University, the University of Louisville, the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. The Cavaliers’ road ACC slate features Clemson University, Florida State University, the University of Miami, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University. The games’ dates will be announced by the ACC in the future.

UVA’s one non-conference opponent will also be announced at a later date. The ACC scheduling model states that all non-conference games must be played in the home state of the ACC institution.

Fall 2020 students return to grounds. Learn more.

The 11-game schedule will start the week of Sept. 7 to 12. The 11-game schedules will be played over 13 weeks, with each team having two open dates.

The ACC will use a single division for the 2020 season. For the first time, the University of Notre Dame will play a full 10-game ACC schedule and be eligible for the ACC Championship. The Fighting Irish, though a member of the ACC in other sports,  have long played an independent football schedule, though they have had an arrangement with the ACC in recent years to play several ACC teams each season.

Based on their winning percentage in conference games, the ACC’s top two teams will compete in the ACC Championship game, to be played Dec. 12 or 19 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Fall Sports

The ACC’s other fall sports may begin Sept. 10. Team sports will play a conference schedule that meets the NCAA’s minimum number of games for teams to be eligible to compete in NCAA Championships – field hockey (six), women’s soccer (six), men’s soccer (six) and volleyball (10). Cross country meets will be scheduled at the school’s discretion.

Additional games against conference or non-conference opponents are at the respective school’s discretion, but all opponents must meet the ACC’s medical standards. Any additional games against conference opponents that are beyond the conference-mandated schedules will not count in the ACC standings.

The ACC’s fall championship schedule will be:

  • The cross country championships will be held Oct. 30 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, and include all 15 member schools.
  • The field hockey championship tournament will be held Nov. 5, 6 and 8 at Duke University.
  • The women’s soccer championship, to include the top four teams, will be held Nov. 6 and 8 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, as previously announced.
  • The men’s soccer championship, to include the top four teams, will be held Nov. 13 and 15 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

Winter and Spring Olympic Sports

Competition in the sports of swimming and diving, indoor track and field and fencing will be postponed until at least Sept. 10.

Fall competition in the sports of men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, rowing, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball and baseball has been canceled. Student-athletes in golf and tennis continue to be eligible to compete unattached.

4TheHoos Virtual Tickets

Each year, UVA Athletics supports more than 750 student-athletes competing in 27 varsity sports. The athletics department’s primary revenue streams have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. UVA Athletics is dependent on ticket sales as a primary source of revenue to fund its annual operations.

To provide funding for operational support for the UVA sports programs, 4TheHoos virtual tickets – which do not provide admission to actual games, but support Cavalier athletics – are on sale for $25 each.

Follow Virginia Athletics

UVA Athletics will deliver interactive digital experiences throughout the 2020 season. Fans are encouraged to download the Virginia Sports App and follow the Hoos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Ticket Sales and Service

If you have questions regarding tickets to athletics events, the 4TheHoos program or the Fans First Program, contact the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office. Fans may send an email anytime to uvatickets@virginia.edu, or, on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., contact the ticket staff by phone at 800-542-8821, text at 434-924-8821 or via live chat.

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