WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida State and Miami had a number of football games rescheduled or canceled last season as the teams battled coronavirus outbreaks. That luxury won't be extended into the 2021 season.
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its COVID-19 policy and protocols for the 2021-22 academic year Thursday.
Among the changes from last season is that teams that don't have enough players will be forced to forfeit and credited with a loss in the conference standings. The opposing team would be assigned a win.
Should both teams be unable to play, they would each be credited with a loss in the standings.
The ACC policy also applies to field hockey, men's and women's soccer and volleyball.
Under the new COVID-19 testing protocols, fully vaccinated players are no longer subject to surveillance testing. Unvaccinated players on a team with a vaccination rate less than 85% must be tested at least three times per week. Unvaccinated players on a team with a vaccination rate of 85% or higher must be tested once a week.
The Seminoles missed nearly a month last season because of coronavirus concerns. A pair of home games against Clemson and Virginia were ultimately canceled after the opposing teams traveled to Tallahassee only to find out that the games wouldn't be played.
Florida State's modified season finale at Wake Forest was also canceled after another outbreak within the program, leaving the Seminoles to play just nine games.
The ACC also had to juggle Miami's schedule after an outbreak sidelined the Hurricanes in November.
Six of the 15 ACC schools -- Boston College, Duke, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest -- are requiring vaccinations for students.