ACC commissioner Jim Phillips discussed recent realignment in college sports and the future plans of the conference during the ACC Tipoff. At the event, the ACC announced its new scheduling model for the years 2024-2030, which includes the addition of Cal, Stanford, and SMU to the league. To ensure the preservation of important rivalries, the conference protected 16 annual rivalry games and made efforts to limit travel for current ACC members going out West. ACC reporters Andrea Adelson and David Hale weighed in on the new format, each expressing their own opinions.
Adelson commended the ACC for safeguarding key rivalry games and expressed excitement about Stanford, Cal, and SMU playing each other on an annual basis. She also highlighted the return of protected games between Miami and Virginia Tech, as well as Wake Forest and NC State. However, Adelson acknowledged concerns about fairness, particularly regarding the fact that Florida State has two protected games compared to Clemson’s one. The impact of Notre Dame’s inclusion in the schedule remains uncertain, which Adelson pointed out as a potential drawback.
Hale recognized that achieving a perfect scheduling plan is challenging due to the complexities of conference realignment. Nevertheless, he praised the ACC for addressing core concerns by preserving crucial rivalries, minimizing travel, and providing exciting matchups. Hale also raised the question of how Notre Dame’s scheduling will affect the competitive balance within the conference.
In terms of disappointments, Adelson expressed sadness over the loss of the Miami-Virginia Tech rivalry game and the Textile Bowl matchup between Clemson and NC State. Hale shared similar sentiments, mentioning his disappointment about the cancellation of the Georgia Tech-Florida State game, which could have served as a recruiting advantage for FSU in Atlanta. He did, however, note that the Georgia Tech-Florida State game will be held in Dublin, Ireland in 2024.
Overall, the ACC’s new scheduling model strives to strike a balance between preserving rivalries, limiting travel, and offering exciting matchups. Nonetheless, some lingering issues still need to be addressed.