ACC officially mandates 10 games against Power 4 opponents

In a move aimed at improving the conference’s chances of placing teams in the College Football Playoff, the ACC has officially mandated that its teams play a minimum of 10 games against Power 4 opponents each season, the conference announced on Monday.

The move will also reportedly include shifting all but one ACC team to a nine-game conference schedule by 2027, with many teams beginning a nine-game slate next season.

Reports of the new schedule began to emerge over the weekend.

“We have been incredibly intentional throughout our discussions on ACC Football, including the future of our conference schedule. Today, the Athletic Directors of the 17 football-playing institutions overwhelmingly supported a regular season schedule that includes nine conference games and a minimum of 10 games each year against Power 4 opponents. This positions the ACC as one of only two leagues committed to having every team annually play a minimum of 10 games against Power 4 teams,” the conference’s statement read.

According to ESPN’s Andrea Adelson, 2027 will be the first year the league adopts a nine-game schedule. However, because it is not mathematically possible for a 17-team league to play nine games against each other, one team will play eight games each season. It is unclear whether the team will rotate every year or if the league will award the eight-game schedule to a specific school to protect a rivalry game.

In 2026, Adelson reports that “multiple teams” will play an eight-game conference schedule to fulfill prior scheduling obligations.

The number of conference games that teams play has been a point of contention ever since the expansion of the College Football Playoff. The Big Ten, which has long played a nine-game conference schedule, contends that SEC teams, which play eight conference games, are looked upon more favorably by the playoff committee because of the better records associated with playing one fewer conference opponent. As such, the committee has assured programs that the strength of schedule will be a significant factor in selection for the playoffs moving forward.

The ACC is clearly trying to take advantage of that initiative by mandating its schools play more Power 4 teams, hoping it will help the conference earn additional bids.

ESPN, the ACC’s television partner, is expected to benefit significantly under the new arrangement. Rather than ACC schools scheduling Group of 5 or FCS opponents to start the year, there will be more games between Power 4 programs, which should lead to bigger audiences.