ACC unveils ‘transition’ 2026 conference schedule

David HaleDec 16, 2025, 10:25 AM ET
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- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN in 2012.
- Graduate of the University of Delaware.

The ACC will roll out its new nine-game conference schedule in a modified form for the 2026 football season, the conference announced Tuesday, with a full nine-game slate beginning in 2027.

For the upcoming season, which the ACC is calling a «transition year,» 12 of its 17 schools will play nine conference games, with Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State, North Carolina and Boston College playing just eight. Those five teams each have multiple Power Four opponents already scheduled outside the conference.

Because the ACC has an odd number of teams, one school will play eight league games each season starting in 2027.

Four ACC schools — Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Louisville — have an annual rivalry game against the SEC, and while Louisville AD Josh Heird said his school is eager to play a strong schedule each season, the other three initially balked at the lack of scheduling flexibility that would come with a nine-game conference slate and an annual nonconference game against their SEC rival.

Clemson has also scheduled an annual series against Notre Dame that starts in 2027, meaning that any year in which the Tigers are slated for nine ACC games, they’d be guaranteed at least 11 games vs. Power Four opponents.

Under the ACC’s new nine-game scheduling plan, which was approved in September, each team will be required to play at least 10 games against Power Four competition, meaning one nonconference Power Four game for the schools playing the full nine-game conference slate, and two for any teams playing eight.

This marks the fourth different scheduling format for the ACC in the past four years. In 2022, the ACC agreed to scrap divisions for the 2023 season. In 2024, Cal, Stanford and SMU joined the league, forcing the ACC to adjust its annual rivalry games to fit the expanded roster of schools. The new nine-game league schedule, the ACC said, will allow for increased flexibility in scheduling and allow schools to face off more frequently.

The ACC remains contractually tied with Notre Dame as well, playing five nonconference games per year against the Fighting Irish.

Teams with a Nine-Game ACC slate in 2026

California