ACC has no plans for 9th conference football game, but could in future: report

Leaders in the ACC have no plans to introduce a ninth conference game to their football schedule in the immediate future, according to Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.

The conference may entertain adding the ninth league game to its schedule in the future, but there is no direct impetus among decision makers to do so at the current time.

The ACC has played an eight-game conference football schedule since 1992 and has enjoyed more than a generation of relative stability in that regard, only changing its model once, to abolish divisions after an expansion project that saw the addition of Cal, SMU, and Stanford.

Big Ten and Big 12 teams all play nine-game conference schedules in football, and there is growing momentum to add a ninth game in the SEC, which currently plays eight league games.

Interest around adding the extra game comes amid speculation that doing so may better position a conference when it comes to College Football Playoff selection.

The eight-game conference schedule didn’t hurt the ACC when it came to playoff selection last season, after both league champion Clemson and runner-up SMU qualified for the 12-team field.

There is also the question of increased revenue, especially in the SEC, which reportedly grew more interested in the extra game after it emerged that ESPN was willing to pay the conference an amount ranging from $50 million to $80 million for the rights to broadcast them.

News that the ACC isn’t interested in adding another football game comes as the conference has lowered the number of league games its basketball teams play.

Last week, the ACC decided to decrease the number of conference games from 20 to 18, with one primary partner for every school and some variable partners, with the programs playing all but one team in every conference schedule.

(McMurphy)

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