ACC to Drop Divisions, Announces New Scheduling Model Beginning In 2023

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Tuesday a new football scheduling model that will go into effect beginning with the 2023 season.

The new model is based on a 3-5-5 structure whereby each team will play three primary opponents annually and face the other 10 league teams twice during the four-year cycle, once at home and once on the road. The schedule allows for each team to face all 13 conference opponents home and away at least once during the four-year cycle. The structure was adopted by the league’s athletic directors and faculty athletic representatives earlier today.

The new schedule will eliminate the Atlantic and Coastal divisions with all 14 schools competing in one division beginning in 2023. The top two teams based on conference winning percentage will compete in the Subway ACC Football Championship Game on the first Saturday in December at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. In May, the NCAA Division I Council approved the deregulation of the current rule that had limited an individual conference's autonomy to determine their football championship game participants.

“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,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “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.”

Clemson's three primary opponents will be Georgia Tech, NC State and Florida State, which ensures that some of the Tigers' more meaningful rivalries still get played on an annual basis. The Yellow Jackets have been Clemson's cross-divisional opponent since 2005 when the conference originally split into two divisions. It's a rivalry that dates back to 1898, with Georgia Tech holding a 50-32-2 edge all-time in the series.

The series with NC State dates all the way back to 1899, with Clemson holding a 59-29-1 lead all-time in the series. Starting in 1981, the annual matchup became known as the Textile Bowl.

The Tigers' rivalry with the Seminoles has been one of the conference's best since Florida State joined the league in 1991, with the two teams combining to win 35 ACC titles over the years.

Although, the rivalry predates Florida State joining the ACC, with the first matchup taking place in 1970. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 30-20, with the Tigers prevailing in each of the past six contests.

The Tigers, who went 10-3 in 2021 and finished 14th in the final Associated Press Poll, are the fourth team on FanDuel Sportsbook's list to win it all in 2022.

Want to join in on the discussion? 100% FREE! Interact with fellow Tiger fans and hear directly from publisher Zach Lentz, deputy editor Brad Senkiw, recruiting analyst Jason Priester and staff writer Will Vandervort on any subject. Click here to become a member of the ALL CLEMSON message board community today!