More Details On South Florida Series, Wake Forest Game Location Moved
Notre Dame’s three-game series with South Florida is slightly more tentative than originally thought, even though the condition to turn it into a set-in-stone obligation can be met this month.
This year's game, slated for Sept. 19, must be played before dates for the final two agreed upon games can be set.
According to the game contract, finalized Aug. 25 and obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request, the schools are not obligated to schedule dates for the two other games if the first one is canceled for any reason. If it does take place, the schools will set dates for one game in Tampa, Fla., and another in South Bend by Aug. 1, 2021 unless both agree to extend the timeline.
If this year’s game is called off, it is unlikely to be made up during the 2020 season. Instead, per the contract, the schools “will attempt to negotiate in good faith a separate written agreement to play a football game or football games at future dates (provided that neither party shall be obligated to reach such an agreement).”
Cancellation of this year's game for any reason, coronavirus-related or not, will not result in any liability of one party to the other. The contract says no guarantee payments are involved.
The scheduled game will also adhere to Notre Dame and the ACC's health policies and protocols, which Notre Dame must provide to USF at least two weeks in advance of the game.
The ACC requires three rounds of testing per week for football teams, one of them the day before the game and another within 48 hours of completion of the game. Any failure to comply or enforce the guidelines by one side allows the other to cancel the game without risk of liability.
Notre Dame will allow USF to purchase 300 tickets for this month's game. Only students, faculty, staff and player families are permitted to attend games at Notre Dame Stadium this season. Under those policies, the allotment of 300 tickets is presumably available only to families of USF players. The visiting team will be given 5,000 tickets for the other two games. Any unsold tickets will be returned to the home team.
USF is also not allowed to bring its band, cheerleaders or mascots to this year's game. Notre Dame has not yet said if it will have its band and cheerleaders at home games.
The Sept. 19 game, if played, will be the second meeting between Notre Dame and USF and the second game of the season for each team. The first meeting was a 23-20 win for the Bulls in South Bend in 2011. Notre Dame opens the 2020 season with a home game against Duke, while USF hosts The Citadel.
Regarding possible future dates, USF has one non-conference opening in 2022 and 2023 and no space from 2024-27. Notre Dame has 11 scheduled games in 2022 and 10 in 2023. If the schools cannot agree on future dates, Notre Dame will be required to pay USF $500,000 for the game the Bulls would have hosted, while the second game in South Bend would be canceled without payment from either party.
Wake Forest Game Location Changes
Notre Dame's Sept. 26 road game against Wake Forest has been moved to campus, Wake Forest announced Wednesday. The game was scheduled to be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. It will now be in Winston-Salem, N.C. at Wake Forest's Truist Field. Fans will not be in attendance.
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