Next season, the ACC will shift to a nine-game football schedule, with 12 of its 17 football-playing members playing nine games and five staying on an eight-game slate.
ACC’s New Scheduling Model
The league announced the details on Tuesday, explaining that 2026 will serve as a bridge year to accommodate games already on the books. By 2027 the plan is for 16 of 17 teams to play nine games each season.
2026 Line-Ups
Reigning champion Duke will join California, Louisville, Miami, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest in the nine-game league slate. Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina will remain on eight games.
Transition to 2027
The ACC is the only power-conference league with an odd number of football members, meaning that once the new model is fully implemented one team will inevitably play only eight games. The schedule is built around a 9+1 model: teams play ten games against Power Four opponents, with the rotating eight-game team aiming for an 8+2 model to hit the ten-game target.
Tiebreaker Review
Commissioner Jim Phillips said publicly last week that the league is examining its football tiebreaker process for the ACC championship game. An updated policy will be announced before the 2026 season. The current policy faced criticism when five-loss Duke won a five-team tiebreaker-including now-No. 10 and CFP-bound Miami-to reach the title game and then beat No. 20 Virginia earlier this month for its first outright ACC title since 1962.
Historical Context
The ACC has used an eight-game football schedule since Florida State’s arrival in 1992, with the exception of a 10-game schedule in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That year Notre Dame gave up its independent status for one year and played a full ACC schedule. The Fighting Irish, a member of all other league sports, typically play four to six ACC games per year, fitting into the non-conference column in the 9+1 or 8+2 models.
Key Takeaways
- 12 of 17 ACC teams will play nine games in 2026; five will stay on eight.
- By 2027, 16 of 17 teams will be on nine-game schedules.
- The league’s tiebreaker policy is under review, with a new version expected before 2026.
The ACC’s move to a nine-game slate aligns it with the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC, aiming to balance scheduling fairness and CFP access while addressing the challenges of an odd number of members.
