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Starting in 2024, the ACC will have 17 teams that span from California, Texas, Florida, and Massachusetts. The additions of Cal, Stanford, and SMU force the league to rethink its scheduling model, including the rivalries it protects.
We will know those protected rivalries this Monday when the league reveals the matchups for its 2024 through 2030 seasons. What we know of the new format so far is that it will be based around a seven-year scheduling model and that none of the current 14 schools will travel to the state of California more than three times in one full seven-year cycle. There is smoke around the likelihood of the league employing a Flex Protect model like the Big Ten has announced for its 18-team future, protecting select rivalries without mandating a quantity for each program. Some schools might have multiple annual adversaries, while others might have none.
Given the direction the sport is headed and conferences often copying and pasting whatever the others are doing when it comes to their schedules, it seems probable to me that this will be the new reality in the ACC, and it begs a major question: what rivalries should the ACC protect?
The 17-team ACC will be a hodge-podge of long-term members who have been around since the 1970s and beyond, former Big East schools, three newcomers not located anywhere near anyone else, and Florida State. Teams will want games in the fertile recruiting grounds of California and Texas while still playing the familiar foes they’ve competed with for generations. Determining which rivalries to salvage is a tightrope the league must walk carefully.
To make the conference’s decision easier, I am listing out all the pairing they could consider prioritizing into three tiers: “You Have No Choice,” “You Probably Should,” and “Maybe.” You’re welcome in advance, ACC officials.
All series records as of Oct. 16, 2023, and via Winspiedia.com.
Tier One: You Have No Choice
Miami vs. Florida State
Series record: 35-32-0, Miami leads (67 all-time meetings)
One of the marquee rivalries in all of college football, it’s paramount that the Seminoles and Hurricanes share a field at least once per season. They have taken part in some epic battles over the decades, and the ACC would have a riot on its hands if it left this rivalry off of its protected list. You think Florida State wants to leave the league now? It will set fire to ACC headquarters if it doesn’t get to play Miami every fall.
Virginia Tech vs. Virginia
Series record: 60-38-5, Virginia Tech leads (103 all-time meetings)
One of the oldest rivalries the league has, it must ensure this in-state contest continues. The Hokies have had the better of the Cavaliers for the most part, especially since 2004 – Virginia Tech is 17-1 since then – but the hatred between them doesn’t diminish, even in the face of domination. The Commonwealth Cup must go on.
Florida State vs. Clemson
Series record: 21-15-0, Florida State leads (36 all-time meetings)
While Florida State and Clemson don’t have the same history as some other pairings on this list, they are among the biggest brands the league has. It’s important for the ACC to get the most out of its members, and that means pitting these two against one another annually. There are few other pairings the conference can come up with that will draw a national audience comparable to what these two can attract.
Stanford vs. Cal
Series record: 60-46-10, Stanford leads (116 all-time meetings)
Two of the newest members of the league and the only two members of the Atlantic Coast Conference to be situated squarely on the Pacific Coast, Stanford and Cal must match up against one another every season. There is no other option for the league but to protect the Big Game.
Tier Two: You Probably Should
Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse
Series record: 43-32-3, Pittsburgh leads (78 all-time meetings)
The Orange and the Panthers have played in every season since 1955, and their series dates all the way back to 1916. It’s been a weird one, with oddities coming in more of their matchups than you might expect, like a 75-minute weather delay in 2018 in the midst of Syracuse blowing a 14-point lead, Pitt blowing a 10-point lead, and Syracuse choking away two new leads in the fourth quarter before Pitt took the win in overtime. They set the record for regulation scoring in 2016 with 137 total points. And that’s just in modern times. This rivalry isn’t on the level of Florida State-Miami or Stanford-Cal, but it’s something the league should aim to preserve.
North Carolina vs. Virginia
Series record: 66-57-4, North Carolina leads (127 all-time meetings)
The South’s Oldest Rivalry is appropriately named for its beginnings long before your grandparents were born. In 1892, Virginia and North Carolina met on the gridiron for the first time, and very little has kept them from doing so on an annual basis since. There have been plenty of ups and downs in this series, and it’s one of the best out-of-state rivalries the ACC has. It means a lot to the people in the region, and with five of their seven games since 2017 being decided by one possession, these games offer plenty of entertainment, too.
North Carolina State vs. Wake Forest
Series record: 68-42-6, North Carolina State leads (116 all-time meetings)
Not the pandemic nor World War II kept North Carolina State and Wake Forest from playing football every year since 1910. The ACC made sure the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons continued to play annually when the league added divisions by putting them both in the Atlantic Division, deepening the relationship between this half of the ACC’s North Carolina state quad. It’s a torrent web for the ACC to parse through in which Tar Heel State matchups to protect, but with 116 all-time meetings, this one has a decent chance of making it through.
North Carolina vs. North Carolina State
Series record: 68-38-6, North Carolina leads (112 all-time meetings)
When the ACC split into divisions, it salvaged this series by making the Tar Heels and Wolfpack protected cross-division rivals. Thanks to that decision, North Carolina and NC State haven’t skipped a beat since 1948. Located about 25 miles apart, these two teams have long been bonded at the hip, even if they hate their conjoined twin. It’s likely that the ACC will make sure it keeps happening, but it’s not as certain as some others.
North Carolina vs. Duke
Series record: 63-40-4, North Carolina leads (107 all-time meetings)
Better known for their basketball games against one another, North Carolina and Duke still have a long history in football. UNC is Duke’s most-played opponent ever, and the Blue Devils rank in the top four for the Tar Heels with a mighty drop off below. Given their history and proximity to one another, the ACC will probably lock this up on the schedule every year.
Duke vs. Wake Forest
Series record: 59-41-2, Duke leads (102 all-time meetings)
These Tar Heel State sides threw down for the first time in 1889 and have repeated the process 101 times more. Only World War II and the pandemic have kept them from playing in every season since 1921, and the ACC has taken every step to ensure that’s the case every step of the way so far. It’s probable that the league will do so again in this latest opportunity.
Tier Three: Maybe
Georgia Tech vs. Clemson
Series record: 50-35-2, Georgia Tech leads (87 all-time meetings)
Georgia Tech and Clemson are both fourth on each other’s most-played opponents list, and they’ve met annually since 1983. They have played some outstanding games against one another, especially in the 1990s and 2000s, but the Tigers have dominated the Yellow Jackets in recent memory. Clemson has one eight-straight in the series, mostly demolitions, and it’s unclear how much the league will value it as an annual contest. Clemson should have Florida State as a protected rival, and the ACC probably won’t want to lock it up with three permanent matchups – one, if not both, of Georgia Tech or North Carolina State will likely be excluded.
Syracuse vs. Boston College
Series record: 33-22-0, Syracuse leads (55 all-time meetings)
The two northernmost members of the conference met in most years between 1958 and 2004 until Boston College ditched the Big East for the ACC. Syracuse followed suit in 2013, and the series renewed and has remained thanks to the placement of the Orange in the Atlantic Division. Syracuse is Boston College’s most-played opponent that currently holds FBS membership, and the Eagles rank among the mainstays for the Orange as well. We shall see if that means enough for the ACC to ensure they meet unabated.
Clemson vs. North Carolina State
Series record: 60-29-1, Clemson leads (90 all-time meetings)
The Textile Bowl’s origins date back to 1899, and it has been a yearly competition since 1971, excluding the pandemic. The Tigers have had the better of the Wolfpack for most of the relationship, and it’s not known as a heated rivalry. But it is this game with added meaning for each program when it rolls around each year thanks to the universities’ shared qualities, and in a perfect world, both would want it to stay that way. Whether it will or not is another question.
Miami vs. Virginia Tech
Series record: 25-15-0, Miami leads (40 all-time meetings)
Miami and Virginia Tech played for the first time in 1953 and began annual competition in 1992 as Big East members. That continued when the Hokies and ‘Canes went to the ACC together, and there have been many intense affairs between them over the last 30 years of continuity. There are portions of both fan bases that want the ACC to rectify its decision not to protect this series upon doing away with divisions, but that decision then doesn’t inspire confidence for a different one now. This series could offer national appeal for the league should these programs get back to where they want to be, so maybe it will see the light this time around.
Pittsburgh vs. Boston College
Series record: 17-15-0, Pittsburgh leads (32 all-time meetings)
They used to play all the time in the 1970s through to the 2000s, but then Boston College left for the ACC, and they’ve met three total times since. But when the ACC was tasked with protecting three rivalries per school in 2022, this was one of the ones selected. Maybe that means something about what the conference will do now. If nothing else, protecting this series for the sake of travel is sound.
CFB FAQs
How are college football bowl games determined?
Only bowl-eligible teams are selected for College Football Bowls. At the NCAA Division I FBS level, the standard by which teams become available for selection in bowl games varies. For example, in 2018-19 season, the team had to have at least as many wins as overall losses. Wins against non-Division I teams do not count toward the number of wins.
How do you play college football pick'em pools?
Simply pick winners from the games each week selected by the Pool Commissioner, either straight up or against the spread. Whichever member has the most points at the end of the season wins
What is a football pool?
"Football Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more football games. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system. They are often considered a great alternative to fantasy football given the ease of playing, although there are fantasy football pools as well.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
How to play squares football pools?
Football squares are played by creating a grid, in which Team 1 takes the column and Team 2 the rows. In some cases, participants may claim as many squares as they like. In others, commissioners limit them to one. At the quarter times and end of the game, the winner is decided at the point the scores final digit intersect.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
What is a college football squares pool?
In a college football squares pool, a commissioner starts with a 10x10 grid of 100 squares (though commissioners decide to use smaller 5x5 pools). Members pick one or more squares in that grid. Winners are determined based on the score of each team after each quarter and at the end of the game.
How many squares in a football pool?
In a traditional football squares pool, a grid is sectioned off into 100 squares with 10 columns and 10 rows. This accounts for a direct relationship between each possible digit from 0 to 9 on both the X and Y axis. For smaller square grids like 5x5, multiple numbers can be assigned to each column and row.
How to read a football squares pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football confidence bowl pool?
The winner of a college bowl confidence pool is the member with the most points after all games have ended. Members rank each game based on how confident they are in their pick (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). For each game picked correctly, members receive the number of points they assigned.
What is a college football bowl confidence pool?
Players try to pick the winner of every bowl game, assigning a point value to each game. Picks are made "straight up," not using a point spread system. Members rank each game based on how confident they are (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). A winner is determined by totalling the point values assigned to correctly picked games.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football bowl pick'em pool?
As you might expect, the player who selects the most bowl winners will win their pick'em pool. You can win your college football bowl pick'em pool by choosing winners wisely, based on past performance, player starting status and other "intangibles."
What is a college football bowl pick'em pool?
In a College Bowl Pick'em pool members attempt to pick the winner of every College Bowl game (or a subset of games determined by the Pool Commissioner). Picks are made using the point spread system or "straight up", as assigned by the Pool Commissioner.
