ACC ‘closing in’ on new schedule format featuring 10 Power 4 games

Last month, the CFP selection committee announced its commitment to further take the strength of schedule into account in the future. And it hasn’t taken long for Power 4 conferences to act quickly in making changes to their scheduling formats, taking the quality of opponents more seriously.

Just one day after the announcement from the CFP selection committee, the SEC decided that starting in 2026, all teams associated with the conference would play a nine-game conference schedule in addition to playing against at least one Power 4 conference team, or Notre Dame, annually.

While it may look slightly different, the ACC is reportedly planning a similar move, with ten total Power 4 games annually. However, the specifics of this planned scheduling change are still unclear. According to ESPN’s Andrea Adelson and David Hale, the ACC is “closing in” on a move to ten Power 4 games per season, which will either come from nine ACC games and one required Power-4 out-of-conference game, or an eight-game conference schedule with two Power 4 games annually.

The reason for the lack of clarity on which format will prevail for the ACC seemingly stems from pushback from the likes of Florida State and Clemson, among other anonymous ACC athletic directors, who have opposed a nine-game conference schedule due to their longstanding non-conference rivalries with Florida and South Carolina, respectively.

In a reported straw poll of 13 of the ACC’s 17 athletic directors about a schedule format change, nine of the 13 anonymous ADs “supported or were amenable” to a nine-game conference schedule. In contrast, the remaining four ADs, including Florida State’s Michael Alford and Clemson’s Graham Neff, had concerns about their longstanding non-conference games.

As for a potential timeline for when we could hear more and learn whether the ACC is favoring the 8-plus-two or 9-plus-one format, athletic directors are scheduled to meet on Monday in Charlotte to discuss which format is in the best interest of the conference moving forward.

Ultimately, whichever format is ultimately decided upon is essentially a step in the right direction in terms of facing top-tier talent in the future, which is a win-win for both fans and the ACC as a whole, as it will receive more representation from the CFP selection committee. And Clemson AD Graham Neff shared that exact sentiment when discussing both options to ESPN.

“The ACC committing to go to 10 Power 4 games is a big step forward,” Neff said. “It’s indicative of where college football is and leans into emphasizing the importance of strength of schedule and more Power 4 matchups.”