After a confusing day in college football that included varying reports about the future of the season, it appears the ACC is set to move forward with an attempt to play this fall, regardless of the potential action of other leagues this week according to multiple reports.
This comes following a report from the Detriot Free Press that the Big Ten had voted to end the fall football season in a 12-2 vote that would have made it the first of the Power Five conferences to do so. The Big Ten said Monday afternoon that an official vote had not yet been conducted, but multiple reports suggested an official vote was scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Monday to decide the fate of the conference's fall season.
The ACC ADs met Monday with the conclusion it is "moving forward in an attempt to play," according to Pat Forde of SI. (Associated Press)
More troubling news for the fate of college football in 2020 came late Monday afternoon. According to Brett McMurphy of Stadium Network, the Mountain West announced it would become the second FBS conference to cancel its fall football season. On Saturday, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) became the first FBS league to cancel its fall football season citing COVID-19 health concerns.
As of Monday evening, reports suggested the ACC still plans to move forward in an attempt to play football this fall. The ACC's athletic directors met Monday with the conclusion that the league is "moving forward in an attempt to play," according to Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated.
Louisville head football coach Scott Satterfield echoed that message in his media availability Monday morning. According to Cameron Teague of the Lousiville Courier Journal, the Cardinals head coach was told that the ACC "will move forward no matter what the other conferences do."
At this point, it appears the Big Ten has become the favorite of the Power Five conferences to cancel its fall season first. Although the Pac-12 did not announce any new plans as of Monday evening, many speculate the conference would follow the Big Ten's lead similarly to how the two leagues became the first to announce conference-only schedules in July.
Alternatively, the SEC and the ACC seem to establish the camp of Power Five conferences that want to attempt a season this fall. As of now, it's unknown which direction the Big 12 is leaning toward in terms of potentially canceling the fall football season. Notably, the Big 12 was the lone Power Five conference other than the ACC that did not eliminate non-conference games to its fall schedule.
Beginning Sunday afternoon and into Monday, college football players across the country took to social media to share their desire to play this fall with the now-viral hashtag #WeWantToPlay. Many of the players that originally tweeted the #WeWantToPlay hashtag, most notably Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, later tweeted a viral photo that included the hashtag #WeAreUnited which also listed a set of expectations from the player group that organized virtually Sunday night.
