ACC schedules 11-game football season, includes Notre Dame

ACC football teams will complete a "10 plus one" model that involves playing 10 conference opponents plus one nonconference opponent with two bye weeks included. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will also play under these league rules and, thus, will be eligible to compete in the ACC Championship Game. 

That championship contest will happen on either December 12 or 19 at Bank of America Stadium, the home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. It will feature the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages.

All nonconference games are to occur in the home state of the ACC program, and there will be only one division for the altered 2020 campaign. 

The ACC tweeted an image of the schedule model: 

A full week-by-week schedule will be released at some point down the road. No date for that release was mentioned in the announcement. 

In the prepared statement, ACC commissioner John Swofford said: 

"Today’s decision was made after months of thoughtful planning by numerous individuals throughout the conference. The Board’s decision presents a path, if public health guidance allows, to move forward with competition. Our institutions are committed to taking the necessary measures to facilitate the return in a safe and responsible manner. We recognize that we may need to be nimble and make adjustments in the future. We will be as prepared as possible should that need arise."

Jon Solomon of The Aspen Institute Project Play tweeted some of the ACC's listed healthy and safety protocols for protecting athletes during the uncontrolled virus outbreak: