The ACC on Tuesday announced a series of schedule adjustments that would lead Notre Dame, Clemson and Miami, Florida, to play convention schedules in nine games to speed up the road to the league championship.
The settings mean that Fighting Irish is a block to make the name game.
By voting to approve the plan, the league’s track and box voted “to maintain the integrity” of the ACC championship game, the convention said.
The Fighting Irish, Tigers and Hurricanes are the ACC groups with fewer than 3 defeats in the ACC game and the 3 groups capable of achieving the convention championship game, which is scheduled for December 19.
Notre Dame number 2 is 9-0 overall and 8-0 ACC. Number 3 Clemson is 8-1, 7-1, and the defeat comes to the Irish. Miami is 7-1, 6-1 in the league, but has not played since November 14 due to postponements and cancellations caused by COVID-19.
To fit the plan, Clemson and Notre Dame will have the normal season this weekend. Clemson is expected to play at Virginia Tech and the Irish will play in Syracuse.
At 8-0 and the homeowners of the tiebreaker opposed to Clemson, the Irish have already secured a position in the ACC Championship. Clemson, who beat Miami the previous season, can secure a rematch with Notre Dame by beating the Hokies.
If Clemson finishes 8-1 at ACC, Miami will face Georgia Tech on December 19 to finish a nine-game convention season. If the Tigers lose to the Hokies, Miami can secure a spot against Notre Dame with a saturday victory over Duke and on December 12 they oppose North Carolina.
The plan eliminates Notre Dame’s scheduled game opposed to Wake Forest on December 12 and clemson’s option to simply postpone last month’s game with rival Florida State.
Instead, the Seminoles will play Duke and Wake Forest in Louisville on December 12, while the Seminoles and Demon Deacons will play on December 19.
If one of this weekend’s games involving the 3 contenders goes as planned, “the ACC has the option to postpone the games on December 12 if necessary,” the league said.
Follow Paul Myerberg, a journalist at USA TODAY universities, on Twitter @PaulMyerberg