Temple, Miami working to reschedule football season opener for another year
The Atlantic Coast Conference's schedule doesn't allow Miami to play before Sept. 7, which wipes out this year's Owls game.
Temple has lost its second nonconference football opponent, as Miami used its one allotted nonconference game this season to schedule a game against Alabama-Birmingham.
The Atlantic Coast Conference’s revised football schedules were released Thursday, and Miami will open its season by hosting UAB on Sept. 10.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the ACC ruled that teams could play only one nonconference game and 10 conference matchups this season. The nonconference game had to be in the same state as the ACC institution.
Miami was originally scheduled to open its season Sept. 5 by hosting Temple. That date was scrapped when the ACC ruled that teams couldn’t start their season until the week of Sept. 7.
Temple, according to school officials, was in contact with Miami to see about the possibility of rescheduling the game. Temple has signed a home-and-home series with Miami, with the Hurricanes scheduled to play in Philadelphia on Sept. 23, 2023.
This year’s game will be rescheduled.
“We have reached an agreement to reschedule our football game at Miami and are working currently to find the right date that fits both programs,” Temple interim athletic director Fran Dunphy said. “We are also actively looking to schedule nonconference opponents for our 2020 schedule.”
Temple doesn’t have a nonconference opening until 2024. Both Temple and Miami have one open date that year. In 2025, Temple has one open date and Miami has two.
Miami’s three original nonconference games, against Temple, Wagner, and UAB, were all at home. Earlier this summer, Temple lost a Sept. 19 home game against Rutgers when the Big Ten decided to eliminate nonconference games this season.
The American Athletic Conference, of which Temple is a member, announced its football plans Wednesday. AAC teams will play eight conference games and are able to play as many as four nonconference games.
Temple still has two other nonconference games this year, hosting Idaho on Sept. 12 and visiting UMass on Oct. 10.
Any football schedules remain fluid because of the pandemic.