Coronavirus protocols wipe out Wake Forest’s football game against Florida State

Wake Forest’s game against Florida State on Saturday will not be played, the ACC announced Friday.

Florida State informed the ACC that a positive COVID-19 test, subsequent quarantining and contact tracing left the Seminoles with an insufficient number of available offensive linemen as outlined in the ACC medical advisory group’s COVID-19 game discontinuation considerations, per the ACC.

It’s the third time this year that Florida State has pulled the plug on a game within roughly 24 hours of kickoff – though this time it was the day before. Games against Clemson and Virginia on back-to-back weekends in November were called off a few hours before kickoff.

Wake Forest’s regular season ends at 4-4, 3-4 in the ACC. Coach Dave Clawson said this week that his team is looking forward to playing in a bowl game, joking that if the Deacons were allowed, they’d play in two.

Florida State’s season finishes at 3-6, 2-6. David Hale of ESPN tweeted that the Seminoles would choose to not participate in a bowl game.

Wake Forest and Florida State both had extended pauses late in the season because of COVID-19 positive tests and contact tracing, and both just returned to the field last week. Wake Forest lost 45-21 at Louisville, while Florida State beat Duke 56-35.