Every power conference in college football has officially announced that it will add a ninth game to its schedule. The SEC finalized the decision, and not far behind, the ACC announced that it was moving to that schedule. The ACC had more logistical hurdles in front of them due to having 17 teams in the conference, but thanks to Notre Dame, it makes that leap possible.
The ACC athletic directors voted to expand the conference schedule to nine games and mandate that schools play 10 power conference teams. ACC Notre Dame plays five ACC teams every year, but that does not equate to enough, so every year, one team will play an 8+2 schedule, while every other team plays a 9+1 schedule, and both will equal 10 total Power Four opponents each year.
“We have been incredibly intentional throughout our discussions on ACC football, including the future of our conference schedule,” Phillips said in a statement. “This positions the ACC as one of only two leagues committed to having every team play at least 10 games against Power 4 teams annually. There will be additional discussions and more details to be determined. Still, today's decision showcases the commitment and leadership of our ADs in balancing what is best for strengthening the conference and their respective programs.”
The schedule will officially be finalized by 2027. It's worth noting that the SEC and ACC have some big-time rivalry games, which are set to continue, mainly because they will count as the out-of-conference Power Four teams. Those games are Florida-Florida State, Georgia Tech-Georgia, Clemson-South Carolina, and Louisville-Kentucky.
There are still some logistical issues between the two conferences because Georgia, for example, has games scheduled against Louisville in 2026 and 2027 and Florida State in 2027 and 2028. Also, Florida has already canceled nonconference games against NC State (2026, 2032) and Cal (2026, 2027).
The other factor in this scheduling situation is that Clemson and Notre Dame agreed to a 12-year scheduling agreement to pit the two college football powers against one another annually through 2038. These two college football powers are struggling this season, but they are historically two great programs, and this should be a huge game every year. Due to outside factors, including the entire conference's scheduling habits, this series could be affected somehow.
