For now, ACC, SEC plan to continue with football this fall

Both leagues released a statement on Tuesday evening

A general view of The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy with both LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers helmets on both sides before the start of the Head Coaches Press Conference before the College Football Playoff National Championship at the Grand Ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel on January 12, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) (Don Juan Moore, 2020 Don Juan Moore)

ROANOKE, Va. – While the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced on Tuesday they will not have sports this fall, it appears that’s not the approach all colleges will be taking.

On Tuesday evening, within minutes of each other, the ACC and SEC released statements.

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First was the ACC, which announced the following:

“The ACC will continue to make decisions based on medical advice, inclusive of our Medical Advisory Group, local and state health guidelines, and do so in a way that appropriately coincides with our universities’ academic missions.

The safety of our students, staff and overall campus communities will always be our top priority, and we are pleased with the protocols being administrated on our 15 campuses. 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.”

Statement from the Atlantic Coast Conference

After that came the SEC:

"I look forward to learning more about the factors that led the Big Ten and Pac-12 leadership to take these actions today. I remain comfortable with the thorough and deliberate approach that the SEC and our 14 members are taking to support a healthy environment for our student-athletes. We will continue to further refine our policies and protocols for a safe return to sports as we monitor developments around COVID-19 in a continued effort to support, educate and care for our student-athletes every day.”

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey

At this point, it seems clear that the ACC and SEC continue to move forward with their sports seasons.