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ACC Sets 2026 Opponents, Launches Nine-Game Model With Uneven Transition

Revised tiebreakers will arrive before 2026 to address uneven schedules under a new 10–Power Four requirement.

Overview

  • Conference opponents for 2026 are out as the ACC confirms a one-year split with 12 teams playing nine league games and five playing eight.
  • Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina will play eight ACC games in 2026; the other 12 schools move to nine.
  • Beginning in 2027, sixteen programs will play nine conference games annually with one rotating team each season assigned an eight-game slate.
  • The league will announce an updated tiebreaker policy before next season following Duke’s five-loss title run that complicated College Football Playoff selection.
  • Each program must face at least 10 Power Four opponents annually (9+1 or 8+2), prompting nonconference adjustments such as Florida State replacing a canceled Notre Dame date with New Mexico State.