Auburn-North Carolina football game won’t happen in Atlanta following ACC decision
Auburn’s week two football game against North Carolina is off.
The ACC announced a scheduling model Wednesday that allows each team — including Notre Dame — to play 10 in-conference games and a non-conference game within the ACC team’s home state.
The Peach Bowl confirmed the news Wednesday night.
“We certainly understand the ACC is doing what they feel is in the best interest of the conference and the health of their teams, staff and student athletes, and as our partners, we support them in that decision,” Peach Bowl President and CEO Gary Stokan said in a statement. “However, we are disappointed we will lose the opportunity to host Florida State, Virginia and North Carolina and their fans in our scheduled Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games this season.”
With the ACC’s decision, Auburn’s only way to play North Carolina would have been to make the roughly 7.5 hour drive to Chapel Hill, N.C., or to play the game somewhere in North Carolina.
“UNC’s preference is to play Auburn as its non-conference opponent, per a source,” 247Sports’ North Carolina outlet reported via Twitter. “However, that game cannot happen in Atlanta as originally scheduled due to ACC guidelines. The ACC announcing its plan before the SEC could potentially help in moving the game to Charlotte instead.”
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, in a statement Wednesday, said: “It is not appropriate to respond to anonymous sources and speculation. We continue to our discussions focused on the return of fall sports, including football. We will announce any decisions at the appropriate time.”
It remains unclear what the SEC’s decision regarding a football season will be. For now, Auburn has one less game on its schedule.
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 8:24 PM.
