ACC Reveals Tiebreaker Policy Will Be Updated After Duke-UVa, New CFB Schedule Model

The 2026 football season is going to be a "transition year" for the ACC as it shifts toward a model where every league member will play nine conference games and at least 10 games against Power Four foes.

The ACC announced the 2026 conference opponents for all 17 teams Tuesday and also explained a determination on its tiebreaker policy moving forward "will be updated and announced ahead of the 2026 season."

Fans are surely interested in what the tiebreaker policy will be after Duke reached the ACC championship game via tiebreakers as one of five teams that finished 6-2 in conference play this season.

While the Blue Devils defeated Virginia in the ACC championship game, they did not make the College Football Playoff thanks to their lackluster 8-5 overall record. Had Miami not been given the final at-large spot over Notre Dame, the conference would have been left out of the 12-team field entirely.

As for 2026, the ACC called it a "transition year" since it will "balance competitive equity, honor existing non-conference game contracts and account for the league's unique 17-team footprint" with 12 teams playing nine league games plus at least one Power Four nonconference opponent and the other five playing eight league games plus at least two Power Four nonconference opponents.

The 2027 season will kickstart an annual plan for 16 teams to play nine ACC games and one to play eight plus at least two Power Four nonconference opponents.

Here is a look at next year's plans:

Teams with 9-Game ACC Schedule in 2026

• California
• Duke
• Louisville
• Miami
• NC State
• Pittsburgh
• SMU
• Stanford
• Syracuse
• Virginia
• Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest

Teams with 8-Game ACC Schedule in 2026

• Boston College
• Clemson
• Florida State
• Georgia Tech
• North Carolina

Had nine-game schedules been in place for the 2025 season, there may not have been as jumbled of a picture in the standings.

Virginia sat alone atop the league at 7-1 in conference play and likely would have made the CFP as one of the five-highest-ranked league champions had it defeated Duke. Yet the Blue Devils were 6-2 in the conference, which was the same record as SMU, Miami, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech.

Since Duke lost to Illinois, Tulane and UConn in nonconference play, it wasn't a realistic CFP contender even with the ACC title.

Fortunately for the conference, Miami was still given the benefit of the doubt when the field was announced in large part due to its head-to-head win over Notre Dame.