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Could Syracuse reposition the Carrier Dome for the Duke game?

Georgetown v Syracuse

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: A general view of the Carrier Dome during the game between the Syracuse Orange and the Georgetown Hoyas with record breaking attendance of 35,012 fans on February 23, 2013 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Nate Shron/Getty Images)

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With Syracuse moving to the ACC this season, they’re looking to make a splash in their new league and are already reviewing ways to do so.

One of the ways Syracuse is rumored to be discussing is re-positioning the Carrier Dome floor to the middle of the dome -- instead of the current one-sided position -- in order to maximize seating when new ACC rival Duke comes to upstate New York.

The move would likely give the Orange 50,000 or so seats to work with for the game and as the rumors and “no comments” from Syracuse administration continue to build the tension surrounding this, Mike Waters of Syracuse.com broke down the necessary fire code applications necessary for such a move to occur.

But such a change in the Dome’s court design would need approval from the City of Syracuse’s Fire Department to make sure the seating plan meets fire safety codes.

Fire chief Steve Cavuto said Friday that the university had yet to present such a plan to the fire department.

“They have to come to us and demonstrate to us that they meet the life/safety code,’' Cavuto said. “There’s been talk of them doing this for years, but they haven’t come to us yet.’'


Cavuto later says to Waters that it’s an issue of aisles and exits for the fans sitting on the floor.

“It would be easy to tell if they meet the fire safety code,’' Cavuto said. “It would just depend on the number of people they want to put on the floor. After that, it’s simple math, really.’'

Since the issue doesn’t seem to be a big issue with the fire department -- as long as safety standards are met -- the floor moving to the center of the Carrier Dome for the Duke game could have some very real legs to it, although it still remains a rumor for now.

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