CRAWFORD | Despite Big Ten and Pac-12 decisions, ACC says it will stay the course

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- While the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences on Tuesday cancelled their fall sports — and the Pac-12 wiped out all sports until January of next year — the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Tuesday that it will continue to move forward on the advice of its Medical Advisory Board.

The ACC, along with the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 Conferences are the only Power 5 leagues left who have not cancelled football for this fall, joining three group of five conferences Football Bowl Subdivision Conferences in the Sun Belt, Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference.

“The safety of our students, staff and overall campus communities will always be our top priority, and we are pleased with the protocols being administered on our 15 campuses,” a statement released by the ACC said Tuesday. “We will continue to follow our process that has been in place for months and has served us well. We understand the need to stay flexible and be prepared to adjust as medical information and the landscape evolves.”

On Monday, Louisville coach Scott Satterfield said in his talks with school administration, the message he received was, “that the ACC is moving forward, no matter what any other conference does, Big Ten, Pac-12, we're moving forward. And it's because of the advice we're getting from our Medical Advisory Board. They're saying that we're OK to keep pushing forward. Our presidents are OK to push forward. And that's what we're going to do until we hear otherwise.”

Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra, contacted Tuesday by WDRB columnist Rick Bozich, said via text message: ““I’m surprised at the change of direction with nothing tangibly different from a health and safety standpoint. I would be intrigued to see how they weighed safely playing in the spring and next fall versus playing this fall and next fall.”

Tyra said that a spring season could bring complications.

“I’m not excited about that notion due to the physical requirements of the sport and needed time for recovery between seasons,” he said. “In addition our ACC Medical Advisory Group has implemented safety protocols and advised it’s safe for us to continue forward as planned.”

The ACC is scheduled to open a 10-game conference schedule on Sept. 10, with schools allowed to play one non-conference game.