North Carolina's 1:30 p.m. Saturday football game against Southern Methodist has been rescheduled for Dec. 1. "That game is going to get played, absolutely," UNC-Chapel Hill Director of Athletic ck Baddour said.
The conference's nine athletic directors and Commissioner John Swofford struggled to make the decision to postpone the games, Baddour said. They had multiple conference calls t scuss their options.
Saturday's football game would have been John Bunting's first at Kenan Stadium as UNC-CH's coach.
"It's a decision that the ACC has made," Bunting said. "I'm kind of new to some of this stuff. I'm a little surprised the NCAA didn't mandate it, but the ACC has decided to do it and whatever they think is best is best."
The NCAA left the decision to the conferences -- the Big East is the only other league to postpone all of its games this weekend.
Swofford announced the decision at 5:30 p.m. after seven of the nine football teams' games had been postponed.
UNC-CH coaches and players had a myriad of reactions to the decision.
"I'm kind of a little disappointed, but I respect it," UNC-CH cornerback Errol Hood said of the decision. "We just had a tragedy in the world and to play a football game, that'd just be saying that we have no respect for that tragedy."
Several players have friends and family in both areas and two of Bunting's best friends live in New York City. Cornerback Ronald Brewer led the team in prayer and a counselor spoke before practice.