Any team unable to play this season due to player shortages caused by COVID will be charged with a forfeit.
Going to be interesting to see how this impacts the season.
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It is as it should be.
I am glad. This is a better policy than using percentiles and makes everything crystal clear. Now how teams will "follow" these rules is a different story.
It's going to be a shit show again this year. Even with vaccinations people are still getting the disease and I imagine college campuses will be super spreaders once again. It is what it is I guess... We should all probably mentally prepare for enjoying what we can when we can.
Disclaimer: My statement above about the vaccine was in no way a political statement nor was it a judgement one way or the other about the vaccine or its efficacy.
I think you're correct on all counts.
There are absolutely folks who have been vaccinated who are getting COVID.
Yes, a small percentage, but it is happening
I don't think we actually know the percentage. But I hope it's pretty small.
Fair enough, since when vaccinated if you get it, 99% of the time it's so mild, you might not even get tested..now the vaccinated folks going back to masking have to help the anti-vaxxers...if they won't help themselves, the rest of us have to do the extra leg work to help them.
I'd encourage everyone to get vaccinated, but people who have been vaccinated are spreading COVID, which is why people will be lining up for a booster eight months after being fully vaccinated. Has nothing to do with the un-vaccinated, though they are the ones most likely (but not exclusively) ending up in hospitals.
Probably would be better not to finger-point, as a good bit of spread in some areas is less about anti-vaxxers, and more about how the COVID vaccines work, and that they lose effectiveness over time.
We just need to keep the vaccines getting dialed in like against the flu.
^^^This!!! People should get vaccinated because doing anything which reduces your odds of hospitalization or death is smart. But the finger pointing is just ignorant.
COVID is a virus like the flu. We aren't going to beat it by having everyone stay home for 2 weeks. We aren't even going to beat it by getting everyone vaccinated since the latest mutation seems to be able to spread among vaccinated (and we're never going to vaccinate the whole world to stop it and even if we did this sneaky virus has shown the ability to jump between species). It would be much more useful to figure out a realistic solution towards co-existing with COVID rather than finger pointing.
Are we allowed to make comments of this type again? I thought these types of comments were prohibited going back to 2020 when the Covid debates were raging.
Instead of adding to this two-tier mentality, let's just make a statement that applies to everyone: 99% of the time it's so mild you might not even get tested.
This season will be very interesting. Less strict contact tracing will solve lots of problems relative to last year. No mandatory testing if vaccinated will solve lots of problems relative to last year. Players might decide to just play with mild symptoms if they feel well enough and only get tested if symptoms causing fatigue or other concerning issues. But if one player does get sick enough that he gets tested, then I assume the contact tracing kicks in, right? So the contact tracing from one case could still cause a forfeit if it hits a position group hard enough.
Seems like maybe a good percentage of team and staff had it last year and natural immunity still effective to keep it all at bay this season.
Not sure natural immunity is going to work that way. Since it is a different variant. That's why we have to get flu shots every year. Because of a different variant. That might be why they are offering booster shots. But, I'm not a medical professional. I just stayed a Holiday Inn Express in 2019.
Yea didn't Lamar Jackson just get covid again? I think in the UFC Amanda Nunes had to pull out of her fight because she also tested positive for a second time. I thought I read somewhere that antibodies only last like 6 months or so? Either way please get vaccinated everyone and encourage others to as well! It's unfortunate that we're trending back towards lockdowns again
UNC s trying to accelerate the spread. Aren't they supposed to have a good medical school?
Not only medical school but a top 5 public health research and policy institute.
They must have their own Pete Morris running their twitter account
Meat Porous.
Is that a picture of people lined up to drink out of a water fountain during a pandemic?
Yes apparently >1000 people for one fountain
Even not in a pandemic, why is everyone waiting for a single water fountain. I always had a water bottle with me in college. I don't get it.
UNC Fountain, drinking from it guarantees all A's in their classes.
oh ao THAT is how they covered up their academic deficiencies
Accreditor: It seems your classes don't meet the academic rigor and integrity that a university of this caliber should meet.
UNC: oh no its not that, we have a magic fountain
Accreditor: Um what?
UNC: we have a magic fountain that guarantees As for all that drink from it. We require the football team to do so.
Accreditor: :::skeptical::: And how does it work?
UNC: Magic?
Accreditor: oh ok ::::stamps accreditation paperwork:::: well good luck with the NCAA hearing.
NCAA:
They have to allow it, the fountain was for all students not just the student-athletes.
Not only is this incredibly stupid during a pandemic, I find it mildly infuriating that the water pressure on that fountain is so low!! They are practically having to wrap their lips around it.
In all my years of water fountains I feel like I've ran into 1 fountain that had the correct combination of water pressure and temperature. 99.9% either trickle out, pressure wash your face unexpectedly, or are just abnormally warm.
There is a super secret screw on the bottom of the regulator that adjust the pressure. Most people try to adjust it using the adjustment for the actual button. This helps some, but it's is governed more by the other screw.
Too much water pressure and they'll think it's raining...and we know what happens at UNC then.
Full Policy Text here
Looks like the contact tracing requirements are reduced as long as the team has greater than a 85% vaccination rate. I haven't seen it reported anywhere, but I am assuming VT will be higher than that since the school is requiring the vaccine for students and faculty.
And I just saw where the student pop is 94% vaxed, so suspect the team may be well over the 85% threshold.
VT is one of 6 ACC schools that require all on campus students to be vaccinated. Our team should be well over 85%
I assume Clemson isn't one of them. Interesting question, if Clemson gets one or multiple forfeits, will that be held against them when it comes to the playoff..?
Not a chance. The committee will treat actual losses on the field and forfeits differently.
But if forfeits keep them out of the ACCG and VT, UNC, or Miami goes 11-1 or 10-2 and Clemson is 10-2 with 2 forfeits, things get really interesting.
After watching Ohio State make it in over Penn St a few years back, we all know that it won't get nearly as interesting as you would hope.
Heck, just look at last year. They changed the rules because anOSU didn't have enough qualifying games for the championship.
They really won't. The committee doesn't care about conference championship games. The only thing that would put them in a tight spot is an 12-1 Miami team, with the only loss being Alabama, winning the ACC and a 10-2 Clemson team with two forfeits.
I doubt we will see many forfeits regardless.
I disagree. Clemson needs that championship game cherry on top especially with so much reloading this year.
Clemson, Alabama, and Ohio State are 3 teams that have achieved a status where their name alone gets them in. They don't need to prove it, they are assumed to be good enough every year unless they have multiple screw-ups on the field. By no means will COVID be the reason they aren't in the playoff. If anything, they'll get the benefit of the doubt regarding COVID to overlook those events.
An on the field undefeated ND would probably get in too on name alone.
I didn't mean every year. Clemson has a lot to replace this year. I have no doubt a team with Lawrence and Etienne would get the benefit of doubt. This particular year, if they look pedestrian with best win over NC State and no conference championship, their is a high likelihood they are left out. It obviously would depend which games were forfeit as well.
I hope so.
So you're saying our team is 800% vaccinated??
Does this apply to the domers for their ACC Games? How could the ACC enforce it in regard to ND's record in the eyes of the selection committee as an independent?
What constitues not enough players to play?
If you have to cancel against an OOC opponent, does that count as a loss in the eyes of the committee ? And vice versa? What if its just an FCS team?
If we are the only conference giving 'wins' and 'losses' for games not played, doesnt that hurt us and us only at selection time?
Yes, there is a possibility of having 2 teams losing to each other because they both got COVID and could not reschedule their game. So you could, potentially, have an 0-8 UVA and an 0-8 Duke.
Disclaimer: this is just an example, as we all know someone will spin the ACC Wheel of Destiny.
That gif captures the example perfectly.
I guess, but this policy will encourage teams trying to keep cases and potential forfeits a secret. They'll wait until the last minute possible in case the other team has to forfeit. No one is going to mutually agree to splitting a forfeit. Might as well field 170 lb true freshmen and out of position walk-ons if you have to. Will be interesting.
If both teams can't field a team due to COVID, both teams forfeit.
In other words, if a team can actually field a team, they will. I'll be surprised if there are lots of forfeits. I guess if the starters are out, the younger players will get some game time in.
Teams won't get the luxury of a rescheduled game because they are missing your preferred players.
Honest question. Assuming the odds of 2 teams both failing to meet whatever criteria is used are minuscule. But if there really was a situation where both teams were going to forfeit the game, is there any reason why the home team couldn't just grab 50 guys out of the dining halls at breakfast, dress them up in some (probably very ill-fitting) uniforms and run them out as the team for that day and get the win? Would be rather comical.
Rosters and testing have to be turned into the conference prior to game day.
Thanks. It did seem too crazy that such a situation could happen and this turn out to be a way around it. Do you know how early the rosters must be set? If it is a fairly short time, somebody could still try it, although I guess even a couple of days notice would let the other team do it too. Can just see this turning into a comedy skit.
If you thought the other team were going to forfeit, you probably only need what, 11 players? 22 ?
Unless you've got a really bad covid problem you should have enough players on the team to pull this off.
Otherwise, sign up the band! You can always forfeit at game time if the other team doesn't.
You need more than 22. You need depth at DL and OL. Last year there were firm limits probably again this year.
Remember, we're just talking about a theoretical "non-forfeit" roster.
So players can be slotted for more than one position, no?
What was the firm limit? Surely we have a big enough band to cover it.
I doubt that's possible. The tests are required by the league and you won't be able to hide the results.
I would have preferred Forfeit by SnuSnu