The ACC is officially getting rid of divisions in football.
The conference announced Tuesday that it will have a new scheduling model beginning with the 2023 season. The new model, which eliminates the Atlantic and Coastal divisions, has a 3-5-5 structure where each team will play three primary opponents on a yearly basis.
From there, each team will play the other 10 teams twice during a four-year cycle — once at home and again on the road. The new format ensures that each team will play the other 13 conference members at least twice during a four-year span.
With the change, the ACC title game will now feature the conference’s top two teams based on conference winning percentage. Previously, the winners from the Atlantic and Coastal would square off for the league crown.
“The future ACC football scheduling model provides significant enhancements for our schools and conference, with the most important being our student-athletes having the opportunity to play every school both home and away over a four-year period,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said.
“We appreciate the thoughtful discussions within our membership, including the head football coaches and athletic directors. In the end, it was clear this model is in the best interest of our student-athletes, programs and fans, at this time.”
ACC permanent opponents chosen
While this change has been expected and widely viewed positively, perhaps the biggest hurdle was settling upon the three primary opponents for each school.
Here’s what the conference came up with:
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Boston College: Miami, Pitt, Syracuse
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Clemson: Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State
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Duke: North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest
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Florida State: Clemson, Miami, Syracuse
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Georgia Tech: Clemson, Louisville, Wake Forest
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Louisville: Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia
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Miami: Boston College, Florida State, Louisville
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North Carolina: Duke, NC State, Virginia
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NC State: Clemson, Duke, North Carolina
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Pittsburgh: Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
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Syracuse: Boston College, Florida State, Pitt
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Virginia: Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
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Virginia Tech: Pitt, Virginia, Wake Forest
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Wake Forest: Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech
The majority of the conference’s long-standing rivalries (like Clemson vs. FSU, FSU vs. Miami, NC State vs. UNC and Virginia vs. Virginia Tech) are covered, though one notable one has been…