There was a commercial that ran on the SEC Network, and occasionally on ESPN, which stated, “It just means more.”

The indication was college football means more in the SEC than it does to any other conference in college football. And maybe it does.

However, as much credit as the SEC has been given for staying the course and finding a way to play football this fall, some credit needs to go to the Atlantic Coast Conference as well. In case you don’t know, it’s the ACC that will open the college football season for the Power 5 Conferences, not the SEC.

The Miami Hurricanes open things up tonight against UAB, while most of the conference gets things rolling on Saturday, including top-ranked Clemson, who visits Wake Forest for a 7:30 p.m. kick.

When the ACC announced in late July it was going to start the football season on Sept. 12, it took a little heat from the national pundits. Some thought it might be too early to start the season.

It did not help that the next day the SEC announced it was going to start its conference-only season two weeks later on Sept. 26. The SEC was of course praised for its announcement and how it got it right.

And maybe for its purposes and how it is handling all of its COVID-19 guidelines and protocols, the SEC did get it right. I am not going to judge anyone when the safety of their players is behind their decisions.

However, when it has come to starting the 2020 season, the ACC has shown it is the league that has done it as well as anyone, if not better. And it deserves that credit.

It was the conference everyone refers to as a basketball conference that got it right when it came to starting the college football season this year.

It was not the Big Ten or the Pac-12. They will be at home all year watching everyone else play because they have already taken their football and run home.

It was not the Big 12, though they do get things started with some non-conference games this weekend. And it is definitely not the mighty SEC.

It is the ACC.

The SEC, like everyone else, will have to watch Clemson and the rest of the ACC own the college football airwaves for the next couple of weeks. So, kudos to John Swofford and the folks at the ACC for making a gutsy call, but the right call to get the college football season started before any of the other Power 5 Conferences.

By playing tonight and this weekend, and holding the door open for the conference championship game to possibly be played on Dec. 19, the ACC has given itself more wiggle room than any other Power 5 league. We have already seen it come into play when Virginia Tech and NC State moved their game back, which was scheduled for Saturday, to Sept. 26 after NC State had a good number of players test positive for COVID-19 a couple of weeks ago.

“Always steady and patient, Commissioner John Swofford has effectively led the Atlantic Coast Conference for over two decades,” the conference’s 15 athletic directors stated in a joint press release Thursday morning. “As athletic directors, we’ve long respected John and his leadership, which has never been better displayed than during these unprecedented and challenging times.

“His tireless efforts in keeping our presidents and chancellors, athletic directors, faculty athletic representatives, and senior woman administrators on the same page and moving us forward in conjunction with the advice of our Medical Advisory Group is immensely appreciated. Although times remain fluid, we know John will continue to keep us connected in the mission of allowing our programs and institutions to stay safe while fulfilling their academic and athletic mission. In recognition of this first weekend of competition, and to further express our thanks and appreciation, each of our 15 member institutions will honor John with a game ball from one of our fall sports.”

Granted there is no guarantee about anything right now, but at least the ACC has given its 15 member schools the best opportunity to have a season. And yes, they did a better job than the SEC.

One last thing on how the SEC got it wrong in this scenario, in my opinion. If the SEC had the insight the ACC had to start playing football this week. The Clemson-South Carolina game could have possibly been played next week, instead of the Tigers playing The Citadel.

Yes, I am still bitter about that one. The ACC got it right and the SEC got it wrong. I guess football just means more in the ACC.

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