The COVID surge is causing musical chairs that is no game.

Just last week, I was praising the ACC and Carolina for doing a better job than most other conferences and schools with the coronavirus crisis. As it turns out, that was partly premature.

Much of the nation is still reacting along partisan lines to the virus, with those neither paying careful attention to it or having no one close to them infected thinking it is still a bad case of the flu. Sooner or later, they’ll learn that the pandemic is again out of control.

The UNC program has not had a positive test since before the season began, and has only missed one scheduled game due to an outbreak at UNC-Charlotte that canceled the September 19 date.

Most of the ACC has also gotten through early postponements or cancellations until now. Miami just played at Virginia Tech without a dozen or so players under quarantine and managed to win. The Hurricanes came home to another spread, forcing the conference to be nimble.

As a result, the last three weeks of the season looks like an ongoing chess game. Miami won’t play for the next two weekends, while trying to get its infected players healthy again. The Canes’ scheduled home game against Georgia Tech Saturday has been moved to December 19.

That is when the ACC championship game will be played in Charlotte, and if Miami somehow qualifies for that, Georgia Tech will be canceled, although I am not sure how the former can happen without playing the latter. Right now, anyway, it looks like a Clemson-Notre Dame title game.

The U’s November 28 game at Wake Forest has been moved to December 5. And their home game against Carolina on that day has been bumped back to December 12. Consequently, the Tar Heels’ always-tentative game against Western Carolina on the 11th has been moved up to the 5th.

Practically speaking, that is good for the Heels. Instead of playing Notre Dame and at Miami on consecutive weekends, they get a virtual practice game against Western in between. For now, that is.

 

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