ACC Football

Virginia Tech head football coach Justin Fuente announced Wednesday the Hokies have opted out of postseason play, ending the nation's longest active bowl streak at 27 years.

"We had a team meeting and our players have decided to not play, and I'm going to support them 100 percent," Fuente told reporters. "It speaks to the difficulty of the season they've been through. There were players who wanted to play, but we were going to do this all together or not, and it became evident that it was a very difficult situation."

The Blacksburg school becomes the fifth ACC program to decline any potential bowl invitations amid the coronavirus pandemic. The others are Boston College, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Virginia.

"There's kids that would like to go home for Christmas. This is ultimately about our kids. I think they've sacrificed enough," Fuente said. "They've been at this for some time and given up freedoms and plenty of opportunities, so we're going to turn the page and get ready to go."

The Hokies finish the 2020 season with a 5-6 record, including an 0-4 mark against ranked opponents, though they narrowly missed upsets against No. 25 Liberty (38-35) and No. 9 Miami (25-24) in November.

Fuente has compiled a 38-26 record across five years leading the program. VT has finished with a losing mark in two of the past three seasons, however, and it last won a bowl game in 2016.

Athletic director Whit Babcock told reporters Tuesday he wasn't considering a coaching change, saying his decisions wouldn't be made to "pacify the social media mob."

"Upheaval is a dangerous strategy if you miss," Babcock said. "I know we have the right coach. But if you make a change and miss, it can get you into a spiral that you don't want."

He explained firing Fuente could lead to players transferring and the risk of losing "a promising young defensive coordinator [Justin Hamilton] and many of our former players who are also on staff."

The Hokies finished the season with a 33-15 victory over rival Virginia last Saturday.

Georgia now owns the longest active bowl streak at 23 years, and it'll increase to 24 if the Bulldogs accept a postseason bid this season. The Dawgs are followed by Oklahoma (21) and LSU (20), though the Tigers' streak is also set to end following a self-imposed bowl ban.

Clemson and Notre Dame both had last weekend off heading into Saturday's ACC Championship Game, but commissioner John Swofford told ESPN's Andrea Adelson that a complaint about the scheduling from SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey "rings pretty hollow."

On Saturday, Sankey criticized scheduling in the Big Ten and Pac-12, where teams won't play eight games this season, and the Dec. 12 cancellations in the ACC, noting that Florida will have played for eight consecutive weeks at the end of the championship game.

Per Adelson, Clemson did not want to travel to Florida last weekend, so the ACC decided it wouldn't make Notre Dame play and would instead determine the title game participants based on a nine-game schedule.

Sankey's comment was rooted in a desire for a second team from his conference to make the four-team College Football Playoff. In the CFP rankings, Alabama is ranked No. 1, followed by Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State.

"Playing games matters," Sankey said. "The playoff selection committee has said that. We have a chance to demonstrate the excellent football in the Southeastern Conference today. I really didn't have any pushback from our teams. They're ready to play and have these opportunities. I think playing games matters."

Though a nine-game schedule determined who would play in the ACC title game, Clemson and Notre Dame did each play 10 games, the same amount as the SEC Championship teams, Alabama and Florida, according to Adelson. The ACC has played more games than any other league in the NCAA, completing 85 of 96 scheduled contests.

"We look at our league," Swofford said. "We don't worry a whole lot about other leagues. We look at what we think is appropriate and right for the ACC. That's not even a defense; that's simply an explanation because the two teams playing in our championship game don't need defending in any way shape or form."

Ever since the first meeting between the Clemson Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended November 7, the anticipation has been building for a rematch in the ACC Championship Game.

On Saturday, the two best teams in the ACC will square off in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a College Football Playoff spot or two on the line.

If second-ranked Notre Dame completes the season sweep of Clemson, it will lock in a position as one of the four national semifinalists. A Clemson victory makes the playoff picture a bit more complicated at the bottom of the top four. The third-ranked Tigers would be in with a win, but Notre Dame's fate could be up to results in other conference championship games.

ACC Championship Game Information

Date: Saturday, December 19

Start Time: 4 p.m. ET 

TV: ABC

Live Stream: ESPN.com or ESPN app

Preview

Clemson and Notre Dame come into Saturday's contest with a few weeks' rest. The ACC realigned its schedule to make sure the two teams played the same amount of games ahead of the conference championship game.

Since beating Clemson, Notre Dame has reeled off three victories and scored 45 points in two of those wins, against the Boston College Eagles and Syracuse Orange. However, the Irish's most impressive performance was the lowest-scoring affair of the trio, a 31-17 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Notre Dame's defense stifled North Carolina's running back tandem of Michael Carter and Javonte Williams to 87 rushing yards. It also restricted quarterback Sam Howell to 211 passing yards.

If Brian Kelly's team applies the same concepts to limiting the production of Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, it should put itself in great position to sweep the Tigers. In the 47-40 double overtime win over Clemson, Notre Dame held Etienne to 28 rushing yards. It was his lowest yardage total on the ground since the 2018 Sugar Bowl, when he was a freshman.

In the past two ACC Championship Games, Etienne has 270 rushing yards, but he has a single triple-digit outing in 2020. That performance occurred in the 42-17 win over the Miami Hurricanes, who were then the seventh-ranked team in the country.

Etienne averaged 5.3 and 4.1 yards per attempt in his two games after the Notre Dame loss, and if he is as effective with more carries Saturday, Clemson could dictate the offensive rhythm.

The Clemson running back could also be the X-factor in the passing game, as he has four games with five or more receptions. If Etienne is more involved in the aerial attack, it would help soften the blow caused by the injuries to wide receivers Justyn Ross, Frank Ladson Jr. and Joseph Ngata. Ross is out for the season, while Ladson and Ngata have missed the past few games.

Even if Clemson's wide receiver corps is healthier than it has been, Lawrence could utilize Etienne to force Notre Dame to commit to defending the short pass. That may allow the signal-caller to have a few more successful deep shots.

Riding Lawrence to a sixth consecutive ACC title would see Clemson lock in one of the four playoff positions and would likely move up one spot in the final playoff rankings as long as the Alabama Crimson Tide win the SEC Championship Game.

A Tigers victory would force the selection committee to drop Notre Dame from No. 2, but a near-perfect resume with one loss to Clemson should be enough for the Irish to remain in the top four.

If Notre Dame wins, Clemson would drop out of the top four and likely end up in the Orange Bowl as the conference's New Year's Six representative.

Prediction: Clemson 42, Notre Dame 28

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

The No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels have capped off their best regular season in five years with an impressive 62-26 victory over No. 10 Miami on Saturday.

The Tar Heels have posted their most wins (eight) since 2016 and best winning percentage (.727) since 2015. Head coach Mack Brown has paid immediate dividends for the program, improving its victory total by five in his first season last year and leading the team to a fourth-place finish in the ACC this year.

Miami's regular season is ending on a down note, but 2020 has been a success for the program. Head coach Manny Diaz led the Hurricanes to an 8-2 record, their first time with a winning percentage of at least .800 since 2003 (.846).

Michael Carter and Javonte Williams wasted no time putting the Tar Heels in the driver seat. The duo had three rushing touchdowns in the first quarter to help put North Carolina up 21-3. They combined for 544 yards and five touchdowns on 47 carries.

Notable Game Stats

• Sam Howell, QB (UNC): 14-of-19, 223 yards, TD
• Michael Carter, RB (UNC): 24 carries, 308 yards, 2 TD; 2 receptions, 9 yards
• Javonte Williams, RB (UNC): 23 carries, 236 yards, 3 TD
• Dyami Brown, WR (UNC): 4 receptions, 167 yards
• D'Eriq King, QB (MIA): 18-of-30, 239 yards, 2 TD, INT
• Brevin Jordan, WR (MIA): 6 receptions, 140 yards, TD

Historic Rushing Day Carries Tar Heels to Victory

Carter and Williams were playing their own game within the game by trying to top the other.

Quarterback Sam Howell did well to set them up on the Tar Heels' first drive of the game with a 51-yard completion to Dyami Brown. Williams finished it off four plays later with a two-yard score.

Williams broke the school's single-season record for rushing touchdowns with his second score of the day.

Not to be outdone, Carter had a 65-yard score on North Carolina's next offensive play. Both stars cracked the century mark in the first half.

Williams entered the game averaging 6.7 yards per attempt, while Carter was even better at 7.1 yards per carry. They increased those totals in a historic effort against a lifeless Miami defense.

Thanks to huge days by Carter and Williams, North Carolina's offense had 10 of its 13 drives end in points. This marks the fourth time this season the Tar Heels have scored at least 50 points.

Brown has his team playing well down the stretch. They have won four of their last five games, with the lone loss coming against No. 2 Notre Dame.

The tandem of Carter and Williams, as well as an efficient passing game, have given North Carolina one of the most potent—and dangerous—offenses in all of college football.

Hurricanes Not Ready to Join Elite Programs

Coming into this game ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 and 10th in the College Football Playoff standings, Miami's long-awaited return to prominence seemed like it was coming to fruition.

Miami failed its first major test of the season with a 42-17 loss against Clemson. There's no shame in losing to one of the best programs in the nation that is chasing a spot in the CFP.

A matchup with North Carolina seemed like a chance for the Hurricanes to beat a high-caliber opponent. Instead, it turned into another ugly debacle in which the defense couldn't get any stops.

Saturday was a sobering reminder of how much work remains for Diaz and his coaching staff to truly bring the Hurricanes back among the nation's elite. Their two losses this season were against the only teams they've played that are currently ranked in the AP Top 25.

Diaz may be able to bring Miami back to the top of the heap in the ACC, but it's clear he still has a lot of work to do in order to make that happen.

What's Next?

Saturday marked the end of the regular season for both teams. They will be placed in bowl games when the postseason schedule gets announced.

The University of Pittsburgh football team announced Friday it is opting out of a potential bowl game this year, citing the "especially taxing experience, physically and mentally" of playing the 2020 season.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi issued a statement on the decision: 

"In my three decades as a coach, I've never been around a group of players who have faced greater challenges beyond the field than our team this year. And yet, from the time they arrived back on campus in early June, these young men never wavered—not in the face of rigorous health protocols, multiple rounds of COVID testing each week or while handling the mental and physical challenges of playing 11 games in a pandemic."

The Panthers (6-5) are the second ACC team to opt out of bowl season following a similar announcement from Boston College on Thursday. 

"Our student-athletes have sacrificed so much since June to even make this season possible for BC and our fans and now it is time for them to focus on finishing up the semester strong and going home to spend time with their families and loved ones," Eagles athletic director Pat Kraft said. 

Pitt has no games remaining on its 2020 schedule.

The Panthers had gone to two straight bowl games, earning a 34-30 victory in the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl over Eastern Michigan. 

Narduzzi built on that success in 2020 with wins against No. 24 Louisville, Florida State and Virginia Tech—though losses to No. 13 Miami, No. 3 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame showed how much further the program has to go.

Now those problems are for next year. 

"Despite this unprecedented environment, our team finished strong concluding with last night's win at Georgia Tech," Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke said. "We are thankful and proud of how they handled the past six months and want them to have a well-deserved restful holiday season with their families and loved ones."   

The ACC announced that the Georgia Tech at Miami football game, which was scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19, has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns within the Yellow Jackets' program.

Per the ACC:

"The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that next Saturday’s Georgia Tech at Miami football game has been canceled.

"Georgia Tech informed the conference office that it will not be able to meet several of the ACC Medical Advisory Group’s COVID-19 game discontinuation considerations. The ACC Medical Advisory Group report is available on theACC.com (full report)."

Georgia Tech was originally scheduled to play Miami on Sat., Nov. 21, but a COVID-19 outbreak within the Hurricanes' program forced a postponement to Dec. 19.

The 8-1 Hurricanes' final regular season game will now be Saturday at home against North Carolina at 3:30 p.m. ET. The 3-7 Yellow Jackets' season is over.

Per the ACC, 81 of the league's 92 scheduled games (or 88.0 percent) have been played this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused mass game cancellations and postponements. Some leagues also decided to call off their seasons outright, including the Ivy League.

The ACC is scheduled to conclude its season on Dec. 19, when Clemson and Notre Dame will play in the conference title game. Six ACC games are left overall, with four occurring Saturday.

The college football season is slated to finish on Monday, Jan. 11 with the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney suggested Friday that Texas A&M and Florida are more deserving of a spot in the College Football Playoff than an Ohio State team that plays six games.

In an interview Thursday on The Rich Eisen Show (h/t Garrett Stepien of 247Sports), Swinney said teams in conferences that play close to a full slate of games (ACC, SEC, Big 12) deserve more consideration for a CFP spot than teams in conferences that play a partial schedule, such as the Big Ten and Pac-12:

"I think any time you step in between the lines in the game of football, there's a lot that can happen — a lot. I mean, heck — in 2017, we lost to a three-win or four-win Syracuse team and still went to the Playoffs. So anything can happen. Guys can get hurt. There's a lot. So I think the fact that we're gonna have 11 games as well as the SEC teams — I mean, you look at Florida and Texas A&M and Alabama. I mean, these teams are gonna have 11 games this year.

"It's incredible and I think the Big Ten had the same opportunity and they chose not to play, and I think the only reason they ended up playing is because of the leadership of the SEC and the ACC and the Big 12, and have demonstrated that we can do it and do it in a safe way. And it's been an unbelievably challenging season, that's for sure, but I think that the committee's gonna have some tough, tough, tough questions to answer and things like that, regardless of what they do."

Swinney added:

"I just think there has to be some type of standard. I just think it would be — if I was on a committee, it would be hard for me to leave out a 10-1 Texas A&M or an 11-game Florida team over a team that's played six games. That would be hard for me if I was on a committee, but I'm not on the committee. So it doesn't really matter."

Ohio State is fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings with a record of 5-0. Clemson is ahead of OSU at No. 3 with a 9-1 mark, while Texas A&M (7-1) is fifth and Florida (8-1) is sixth.

While the Buckeyes have played only five games this season, they have experienced multiple cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their game against Maryland was canceled because of COVID-19 issues within the Terrapins program, and the matchup with Illinois was called off thanks to an outbreak in the Ohio State program.

This week's scheduled rivalry game between Ohio State and Michigan has been canceled as well since the Wolverines are dealing with positive COVID-19 cases.

Initially, the Big Ten required a team to play at least six games to qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game. The conference announced this week that it was doing away with the requirement, which means OSU and Northwestern will meet in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Ohio State is the Big Ten's only hope of being represented in the CFP, which likely factored into the conference's decision.

Clemson has run into some COVID-19 issues in its own right this season. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed two games after a positive test, and a scheduled game against Florida State was called off after a Clemson player tested positive.

Despite that, Clemson has played 10 games and will meet undefeated Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game next week.

The ACC, SEC and Big 12 had a greater margin for error since they started their seasons in September, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 didn't begin play until late October and early November, respectively.

Although it can be argued that Texas A&M and Florida deserve greater CFP consideration after playing close to full schedules, it is difficult to say Ohio State isn't one of the four best teams in the nation.

With quarterback Justin Fields to lead the way, the Buckeyes have a high-octane offense capable of beating anyone. It would be tough to keep them out of the CFP field if they top Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Even if OSU goes undefeated, though, one scenario could see it left out of the CFP. If Florida upsets Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, the Gators would likely push into the Top Four.

A Clemson loss to Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game would likely drop the Tigers behind Ohio State with two losses. However, a Clemson win would leave Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Florida with one loss apiece, and they would all arguably have a better case than undefeated OSU.

There is still plenty left to be decided, but if Ohio State beats Northwestern and Alabama beats Florida, it is difficult to envision the CFP committee drops the Buckeyes outside the Top Four.

Louisville football coach Scott Satterfield wrote a letter apologizing to fans for his interest in the South Carolina job:

Satterfield has spent the past two years with the Cardinals, going 8-5 in 2019 before struggling to a 3-7 mark with one game remaining in 2020.

His name came up regarding the South Carolina opening in November after Will Muschamp was fired, but he reaffirmed his commitment to Louisville on Twitter. It was later revealed he interviewed for the open position, but Satterfield then said it was just a "conversation."

"My intentions were never to leave or go anywhere else, but I thought I owed an obligation just to listen because of where it’s at. That’s it," he said last week, per Cameron Teague Robinson of the Louisville Courier-Journal.

The coach is now apologizing to the season ticket holders and vows to be more honest.

"In the days, weeks and months ahead I will do what is necessary to earn back the trust and support of each and every one of you," Satterfield wrote.

Boston College decided it will not participate in a bowl game this season because of the "emotional, mental and physical grind" of playing the college football season during the pandemic, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

The 6-5 team is eligible to compete in a bowl game but the players elected to instead end the season.

"Our student-athletes have sacrificed so much since June to even make this season possible for BC and our fans and now it is time for them to focus on finishing up the semester strong and going home to spend time with their families and loved ones," athletic director Pat Kraft said in a statement.

Boston College had only one player test positive for COVID-19 since workouts began in June.

Bleacher Report's Joe Tansey projected Boston College would participate in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30, while other options included the Gasparilla Bowl or the Military Bowl.

Regardless of the matchup, it would add more challenges to the season.

"It's a road game, basically," Kraft told Thamel. "The players would have to be away from their families for the holidays and it's uncertain if families could come to the game. It’s different than the true bowl game experience."

Kraft and head coach Jeff Hafley took a further look at what makes this season different:

BC center Alec Lindstrom told Thamel the season has been a struggle: "It's been really hard for us. It's really starting to take a mental toll. Guys can't go home like they usually can."

The Eagles concluded an impressive season in their first year under Hafley, who was hired after a year as co-defensive coordinator of Ohio State. The squad not only finished with a winning record, but it was competitive in losses to top opponents like Clemson, Notre Dame and North Carolina.

Former Notre Dame defensive lineman Louis Nix III will have surgery after being shot in the chest in Jacksonville, Florida on Tuesday night, per Vic Micolucci of News4Jax.com. 

The 29-year-old told police he was at a gas station air pump when an "unknown person" shined a flashlight in his face and said "give me." Nix pushed the person in response and they shot him.

Nix, who was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2014 and was a practice squad player for the New York Giants, Washington Football Team and Jacksonville Jaguars, said the bullet hit his sternum and ended up in his lung.

Per Micolucci, Nix was transported to UF Health Hospital in Jacksonville, where he was in serious condition, but he told Micolucci Wednesday afternoon that he was "doing well." 

Police are investigating and listed the descriptions of two suspects in their report. A witness said the suspects fled the scene after the shooting, per Micolucci. 

The Jacksonville native played at Notre Dame from 2011-13, with his best campaign coming as a junior in 2012. He earned a third-team All-American selection as he led the team's defensive line with 50 tackles and posted a team-leading five pass breakups while ranking fourth with 7.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. That year, Notre Dame fell in the national championship to Alabama. 

His senior season ended early as a knee injury forced him to play just one of the final six games of the year. Knee injuries also limited his time in the pros, as his rookie year ended when he endured two surgeries before the end of September.