ACC drops football divisions, alters scheduling format. What it means for Clemson
The ACC will eliminate its football divisions and overhaul the conference’s scheduling format next season, leading to big changes for Clemson football starting in 2023.
Under the Atlantic Coast Conference’s new 3-5-5 model announced Tuesday, Clemson will play Florida State, Georgia Tech and N.C. State annually as its three “primary partners.” The Tigers will face the conference’s other 10 teams twice each during a four-year cycle: once at home and once on the road.
The new scheduling format, adopted Tuesday by league athletic directors and faculty athletic representatives, allows each team to play all 13 of its conference opponents home and away at least once per four-year cycle.
Under the new format, the top two teams based on conference winning percentage will compete in the ACC football championship game instead of divisional champs.
The move follows a national trend among major conferences intended to enhance their conference title games as a product, avoid repetitive match-ups and better position their conference champion for one of four coveted College Football Playoff bids.
“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 in a news release.
“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.”
The last time the ACC used that model, during the 2020 season affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Clemson beat Notre Dame (a temporary member) in the championship game. Both teams advanced to the College Football Playoff.
The 2022 season will be Clemson’s last in the ACC Atlantic Division alongside Boston College, Florida State, Louisville, NC State, Syracuse and Wake Forest. As such, two of Clemson’s new permanent opponents starting in 2023, Florida State and N.C. State, will be former Atlantic Division foes while Georgia Tech, the Tigers’ third “primary partner,” comes over from the Coastal Division.
Outside of Georgia Tech, the Coastal Division includes Duke, Miami, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
The ACC had been using that divisional model since the conference grew to 12 teams in 2005, the News & Observer previously reported. Clemson has won seven of its 20 all-time ACC titles since that change: in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
The Tigers’ six consecutive outright titles from 2015 to 2020 under coach Dabo Swinney (the last coming in a divisionless structure) set a new national record for the conference championship game era.
Clemson also won an outright Atlantic Division title or shared the honor in eight of 11 years from 2009 to 2021: 2009, 2011, 2012 (shared), 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. That doesn’t include the team’s 2020 title game berth in a divisionless season.
Divisionless conferences have been picking up momentum for a few years, most notably in an era of bold conference realignment and name, image and likeness.
In May, the NCAA Division I Council followed suit by, in simplest terms, relaxing current rules and allowing conferences the freedom to determine their football championship game participants.
The Pac-12 promptly altered its championship game methodology for 2022, moving from a divisional champ vs. divisional champ model to a matchup between the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages.
The Mountain West Conference is also scrapping its two-division format starting in 2023, while the SEC has also been weighing such a move. The Big 12 has operated under a divisionless conference title format since 2017.
Primary partners by ACC team
Boston College: Miami, Pitt, Syracuse
Clemson: Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State
Duke: North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest
Florida State: Clemson, Miami, Syracuse
Georgia Tech: Clemson, Louisville, Wake Forest
Louisville: Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia
Miami: Boston College, Florida State, Louisville
North Carolina: Duke, NC State, Virginia
NC State: Clemson, Duke, North Carolina
Pitt: Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
Syracuse: Boston College, Florida State, Pitt
Virginia: Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech: Pitt, Virginia, Wake Forest
Wake Forest: Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech
Clemson’s future ACC schedules
2023
Home: Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest
Away: Duke, Miami, NC State, Syracuse
2024
Home: Louisville, Miami, NC State, Virginia
Away: Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech
2025
Home: Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Syracuse
Away: North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, Wake Forest
2026
Home: Boston College, NC State, Pitt, Virginia Tech
Away: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Virginia
This story was originally published June 28, 2022 at 11:09 AM.
