There was some hope that Notre Dame’s season opener against Navy scheduled for Aug. 29 in Ireland would somehow go on as planned during the ongoing global pandemic.
That’s no longer the case. Instead, the Irish announced that the game has been moved from the European hub to Maryland.
“Our student-athletes have had great experiences competing in Ireland and are very disappointed not to be returning to Dublin in 2020,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement, via ESPN. “The change of venue has been a very difficult decision for our colleagues at the Naval Academy, but we are in full support of their choice. We are also grateful for everything our partners in Ireland have done to make this a smooth transition. We look forward to going back to Ireland for a game in the not too distant future.”
Notre Dame football schedule
Following their opener against Navy, the Irish will host Arkansas in South Bend on Sept. 12 before hosting Central Michigan the following week. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has already opened up the state to sports. Though, it’s not yet known whether fans will be allowed in attendance once the season starts.
Of Notre Dame’s road dates, only the season finale against USC in Southern California might be in question. Even if that game were to be played, it’s highly unlikely fans will be in attendance.
2020 college football season
At this point, everything remains up in the air as it relates to the start of the 2020 college football season.
Right now, it’s all about how the United States continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and how things look over the next couple months. Widespread testing will also need to be available.
Complicating things further is the fact that states have different policies surrounding mass gatherings during the pandemic. There’s a decent chance that at least the early portion of the schedule will be played without fans in attendance.