The season opener between No. 1 Clemson and Wake Forest on Sept. 12 will not have fans in the stands.
Wake Forest announced Tuesday that it will not be able to have fans at its football stadium for at least the month of September, in accordance with guidance from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Service.
None of the North Carolina-based ACC schools will allow fans in the stands to start the season.
“We understand there are many variables involved in fighting the pandemic and we respect DHHS’s guidance,” Wake Forest athletic director John Currie said in a statement. “We will miss the passion and support of Wake Forest fans in the Truist Field stands on Sept. 12, but we will continue to work to demonstrate our ability to safely host Deacon Nation for future contests.”
The ACC will allow teams to pump in artificial crowd and background noise, in addition to music, to replicate the normal game-day experience. But the use of that noise has to follow ACC and NCAA rules, and it cannot prohibit a team from hearing its signals either once it breaks the huddle or once the center is set.