While the ACC remains committed to having a 2020 fall football season, there are more than a few bits of cognitive dissonance to contend with.
On Tuesday this week, Dr. Cameron Wolfe, the ACC’s top medical advisor, told the Sports Business Journal that he sees a path for a safe 2020 football season amidst COVID-19.
At the moment, the ACC and SEC are committed to continuing on with a fall football season. With the Big Ten and Pac-12 postponing fall sports, the fifth and final Power Five league — the Big 12 — is reportedly ready to continue with football, too. (This could ultimately factor into the ACC’s final decision.)
However, a lack of transparency remains apparent in the process; this includes medical procedures and safety guidelines. The ACC can present a united front, but there are genuine concerns.
Frustrations with this continue to permeate throughout parts of the league, according to a report from ESPN’s Andrea Adelson.
The disparate medical opinions have only added to the frustration over the past week. Multiple ACC sources indicated that nothing has changed from a medical perspective since the Power 5 conferences announced their schedules last week, and there remains surprise over how the Pac-12 and Big Ten reversed course so quickly. Those sources also indicated that much of the future decision-making could hinge on what happens with the Big 12.
Ideally, the ACC prefers a majority of the Power 5 conferences to play on. If the Big 12 decides to also delay until the spring, that could change the calculus, but it might not necessarily be a deal breaker.
Dr. Dave Petron, a key member of the Pac-12’s advisory group from the University of Utah, sees things differently from Dr. Wolfe. Petron advised the Pac-12 to halt and team activities. Sure enough, all Pac-12 sports are off the table until at least 2021.
So far, the ACC continues to preach patience — even with games set to start one month from now. ACC presidents are set to convene for their weekly call on Wednesday. At which point, the league’s power brokers are expected to discuss the same medical data the Pac-12 used as evidence to call off its 2020 season.