The ACC is following the rest of the power conferences in moving to nine conference games. However, the conference is splitting which teams play eight and which play nine because there are 17 teams in the conference. Each year through 2032, the conference will rotate through different teams, with some playing eight games and the rest playing nine.
According to On3's Brett McMurphy, the ACC finalized its upcoming schedule through 2032 on Friday. Five teams are playing eight games in 2026, after which the schedule will rotate among specific teams. The ACC is using 2026 as a bridge year for the schedule, with full implementation starting in 2027.
The breakdown of teams playing eight ACC games: Clemson (2027, 2028), Georgia Tech (2029, 2031), Syracuse (2030), and Florida State (2032).
The five schools in 2026 are Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina.
In September, the ACC announced it would add a ninth league contest starting in 2026. But with 17 league teams, it’s mathematically impossible for each team to play nine games. An ACC athletic director wasn’t concerned. “We have the highest-rated academic schools of any Power Four conference,” the AD said to On3. “We’ll figure it out.”
Reportedly, all 17 league members collaborated to determine which schools would play nine or eight league games, with the decision partly based on future contracted non-conference games.
Due to differences among league members and varying schedules, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said the ACC would implement new tiebreakers to determine the top two seeds for the ACC title game. The goal is to have the new tiebreakers ironed out by the spring.
Only games against other ACC opponents will count toward the league standings. That means teams that play Notre Dame will not count toward the ACC standings.
Another wrinkle is that, in 2026, the ACC is requiring all members to play at least 10 Power 5 conference games. Those factors are factored into each team's schedule, regardless of whether a team is playing eight or nine conference games. For example, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Louisville are playing 11 Power 5 conference teams, the most of any conference.
