Could Clemson go rogue and play SEC teams or will ACC stay united?
By: will-vandervort August 10, 2020

Back in April, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports, The Clemson Insider reached out to several of its sources at Clemson and in the ACC to get an idea of what were some of the league’s contingency plans should things start to fall apart and the 2020 football season was in jeopardy.

At the time, we were given several plans, which we have all seen play out in the last couple of weeks. But as TCI began to read the tea leaves back in April, we saw there was a possibility for what has played out in the last 48 hours.

Considering how each state has opened things back up differently, we knew it was going to be difficult for schools and conferences to all be on the same page. Also, there are different political opinions on how to do things being thrown around, which we knew would allow some schools and conferences the opportunity to play and others who can’t due to the state they live in or its affiliation within its own conference.

In May, it led us to reach out and ask some of our sources at Clemson and around the league, if the ACC might consider allowing other teams in the conference to play even if others cannot?

We could not get a definite answer on these questions from our league sources. However, we were told these options were being discussed more frequently by the conference, as a whole, than they were when the pandemic first began.

A Clemson source told us at the time, “If it means saving our athletic department, and if it comes down to it, then we will consider all possibilities.”

Could now be the time?

Reports surfaced Monday morning that Big Ten presidents voted 12-2 to cancel the upcoming football season and the Pac-12 is ready to pull the plug, as well, and that can happen as early as Tuesday. However, radio personality Dan Patrick added in his report that the SEC is trying to get a delay and have other teams join them for one season.

Sound familiar?

Patrick said, “The SEC is looking at exclusive TV contracts. I followed up with my source and said, ‘So the Big 10 and the PAC-12 cancel tomorrow?’ That’s what I’m told this morning. Three Big 10 teams that I’ve spoken with said ‘it’s done.’ I followed up by saying, ‘So the SEC might go alone and bring other schools?’ That’s the latest. They’re trying to buy time, according to my source, to see if the ACC or Big 12 will go along with them.”

Bleacher reporter Matt Hayes, who has covered college football for decades as a national writer, backed up Patrick’s report and took it a step further. Hayes reported the SEC, ACC and Big 12 plan to keep moving forward with their plans to play this fall.

TCI reached out to an ACC source this weekend and we were told, “the conference was still moving forward with its plans.” However, we were told by another source that the ACC’s presidents and athletic directors were meeting on Monday, so things are still in flux.

Hayes tweeted Monday:

Stay tuned to TCI as we continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds.

A great gift for any Tiger fan. Just one of many great items available from Clemson Variety & Frame