Syracuse Football: Plan is for no fans at Carrier Dome for home opener

The Orange athletics department says the school will not host fans at this time, including the Syracuse football home opener versus Georgia Tech.

Syracuse University Athletics has issued a press release where it says that the school will not have fans at home sporting events for now, and that includes the Syracuse football home opener against Georgia Tech slated for Saturday, Sept. 26, inside the newly renovated Carrier Dome.

Athletic-department officials say that this decision is “consistent with New York State’s COVID-19 protocol and in an effort to maintain a safe and healthy campus community.”

The announcement, disclosed late Friday afternoon via cuse.com, doesn’t provide many additional details. Some other Atlantic Coast Conference teams are saying that they will have no fans in the stands for football contests in the month of September, and that they will revisit their attendance policies for October and beyond.

It’s certainly possible that Syracuse University athletic-department officials could follow a similar pattern. After the Sept. 26 encounter with the Yellow Jackets on the Hill, the ‘Cuse is next scheduled to suit up at the Dome on Saturday, Oct. 10, against Duke.

Then again, it’s absolutely feasible that no fans will get to watch Syracuse football duels in-person throughout the entire 2020 campaign.

"More from the media statement. “Syracuse Athletics remains committed to doing everything it can to support and protect the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, our staff and the campus and Syracuse communities. All decisions will be science-based and informed by public health guidance as provided by county, state and public health officials.”"

University administrators, who have already banned tailgating and moved to an individual game ticket model, say that if fans are permitted to attend future football battles or other fall sporting events, those individual tickets will get made available in an online pre-sale two weeks before every game.

Should fans get the opportunity to watch sporting events live, Syracuse Athletics is requiring them to “sit in a socially distant manner” and wear a face mask or covering.

For the first two ACC clashes of the 2020 stanza for Syracuse football, both on the road against North Carolina and Pittsburgh on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Saturday, Sept. 19, respectively, no fans are permitted. Otherwise, league crews have announced a variety of attendance policies to date amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.