ACC football schedule format set for 2023 through 2026 seasons

By Kevin Kelley -

The ACC football schedule format has been set for the 2023 through 2026 seasons, the conference announced on Tuesday.

Beginning in 2023, the ACC will play a 3-5-5 scheduling format. Each ACC team will have three primary, or permanent, opponents annually and will play the remaining 10 teams twice during the four-year cycle, once at home and once on the road.

With the 3-5-5 format, each ACC team will continue to play an eight-game conference schedule with four non-conference opponents each season.

Additionally, all 14 ACC teams will compete in one division, which means the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions will be eliminated. The two teams with the highest winning percentage in conference play will advance to the ACC Football Championship Game, which is held annually at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

“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.”

Below are the primary opponents for each ACC school beginning in 2023:

Boston College: Miami, Pitt, Syracuse
Clemson: Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State
Duke: North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest
Florida State: Clemson, Miami, Syracuse
Georgia Tech: Clemson, Louisville, Wake Forest
Louisville: Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia
Miami: Boston College, Florida State, Louisville
North Carolina: Duke, NC State, Virginia
NC State: Clemson, Duke, North Carolina
Pitt: Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
Syracuse: Boston College, Florida State, Pitt
Virginia: Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech: Pitt, Virginia, Wake Forest
Wake Forest: Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech

Listed below are the complete list of opponents for each ACC team for the 2023 through 2026 seasons:

2023 ACC OPPONENTS

Boston College: Home – Florida State, Miami, Virginia, Virginia Tech; Away – Georgia Tech, Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse

Clemson: Home – Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest; Away – Duke, Miami, NC State, Syracuse

Duke: Home – Clemson, NC State, Pitt, Wake Forest; Away – Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia

Florida State: Home – Duke, Miami, Syracuse, Virginia Tech; Away – Boston College, Clemson, Pitt, Wake Forest

Georgia Tech: Home – Boston College, Louisville, North Carolina, Syracuse; Away – Clemson, Miami, Virginia, Wake Forest

Louisville: Home – Boston College, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech; Away – Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, Pitt

Miami: Home – Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Virginia; Away – Boston College, Florida State, North Carolina, NC State

North Carolina: Home – Duke, Miami, Syracuse, Virginia; Away – Clemson, Georgia Tech, NC State, Pitt

NC State: Home – Clemson, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina; Away – Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Pitt: Home – Boston College, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina; Away – Duke, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Syracuse: Home – Boston College, Clemson, Pitt, Wake Forest; Away – Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia Tech

Virginia: Home – Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State, Virginia Tech; Away – Boston College, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina

Virginia Tech: Home – NC State, Pitt, Syracuse, Wake Forest; Away – Boston College, Florida State, Louisville, Virginia

Wake Forest: Home – Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State, Pitt; Away – Clemson, Duke, Syracuse, Virginia Tech

2024 ACC OPPONENTS

Boston College: Home – Clemson, Pitt, Syracuse, Wake Forest; Away – Duke, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina

Clemson: Home – Louisville, Miami, NC State, Virginia; Away – Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech

Duke: Home – Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech; Away – Miami, NC State, Syracuse, Wake Forest

Florida State: Home – Boston College, Clemson, North Carolina, NC State; Away – Georgia Tech, Miami, Syracuse, Virginia

Georgia Tech: Home – Clemson, Florida State, Pitt, Wake Forest; Away – Louisville, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech

Louisville: Home – Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Syracuse; Away – Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Miami: Home – Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Pitt; Away – Clemson, Louisville, Syracuse, Wake Forest

North Carolina: Home – Boston College, NC State, Pitt, Virginia Tech; Away – Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Virginia

NC State: Home – Duke, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Wake Forest; Away – Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, Pitt

Pitt: Home – NC State, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech; Away – Boston College, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina

Syracuse: Home – Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami; Away – Boston College, Louisville, NC State, Pitt

Virginia: Home – Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, Wake Forest; Away – Clemson, Duke, Pitt, Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech: Home – Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Virginia; Away – Duke, North Carolina, Pitt, Wake Forest

Wake Forest: Home – Duke, Louisville, Miami, Virginia Tech; Away – Boston College, Georgia Tech, NC State, Virginia

2025 ACC OPPONENTS

Boston College: Home – Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, NC State; Away – Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Clemson: Home – Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Syracuse; Away – North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, Wake Forest

Duke: Home – Florida State, Louisville, NC State, Wake Forest; Away – Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pitt

Florida State: Home – Miami, Pitt, Syracuse, Wake Forest; Away – Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Virginia Tech

Georgia Tech: Home – Duke, Louisville, Miami, Virginia; Away – Boston College, Clemson, North Carolina, Wake Forest

Louisville: Home – Florida State, NC State, Pitt, Virginia; Away – Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami

Miami: Home – Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech; Away – Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia

North Carolina: Home – Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia; Away – Miami, NC State, Syracuse, Wake Forest

NC State: Home – Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech; Away – Boston College, Duke, Louisville, Miami

Pitt: Home – Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Wake Forest; Away – Florida State, Louisville, Syracuse, Virginia Tech

Syracuse: Home – Boston College, North Carolina, Pitt, Virginia Tech; Away – Clemson, Florida State, Virginia, Wake Forest

Virginia: Home – Boston College, Miami, Syracuse, Virginia Tech; Away – Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State

Virginia Tech: Home – Boston College, Florida State, Pitt, Wake Forest; Away – Miami, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia

Wake Forest: Home – Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Syracuse; Away – Duke, Florida State, Pitt, Virginia Tech

2026 ACC OPPONENTS

Boston College: Home – Duke, North Carolina, Pitt, Syracuse; Away – Clemson, Miami, NC State, Wake Forest

Clemson: Home – Boston College, NC State, Pitt, Virginia Tech; Away – Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Virginia

Duke: Home – Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Syracuse; Away – Boston College, NC State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Florida State: Home – Clemson, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Virginia; Away – Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse

Georgia Tech: Home – Clemson, NC State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest; Away – Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Pitt

Louisville: Home – Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami, Wake Forest; Away – Florida State, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia

Miami: Home – Boston College, Florida State, Syracuse, Wake Forest; Away – Duke, Louisville, Pitt, Virginia Tech

North Carolina: Home – Florida State, Louisville, NC State, Wake Forest; Away – Boston College, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech

NC State: Home – Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Pitt; Away – Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Syracuse

Pitt: Home – Georgia Tech, Miami, Syracuse, Virginia Tech; Away – Boston College, Clemson, NC State, Virginia

Syracuse: Home – Florida State, Louisville, NC State, Virginia; Away – Boston College, Duke, Miami, Pitt

Virginia: Home – Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina, Pitt; Away – Florida State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Virginia Tech: Home – Duke, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia; Away – Clemson, Georgia Tech, Pitt, Wake Forest

Wake Forest: Home – Boston College, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech; Away – Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina

Comments (15)

I would have liked to see them take it a step further…with 14 teams you could have had 2 “pods” of 4 and 2 “pods” of 3, but this is a lot better than what we had. I’ve always thought something like this would be ideal.

CAROLINA POD:
Duke
N Carolina
NC State
Wake

SOUTHEASTERN POD:
GA Tech
Clemson
Florida St
Miami

NORTHEASTERN POD:
Pitt
BC
Syracuse

Mid-Atlantic POD:
Louisville
VA Tech
Virginia

Each member plays their own “pod” 2-3 games each season, then rotates the remaining 5-6 games with playing an entire 3-team pod and half of a 4-team pod, then working their way through the 4-team pod home and away rotating through 4 seasons.

That Southeastern Pod seems way too strong. Plus, I don’t thing UNC and UVA want to give up on the South’s Oldest Rivalry on an annual basis. The new setup has ended the Wake-NCSU annual matchup that dates back to 1910.

Good idea. It’s about time they did this.
Although I feel like Miami/VT should have been an annual matchup, but I’m not from the area nor affiliated with either school so I have no qualms about it.

First is the Notre Dame schedule unchanged?

From a wins and losses I think UNC got the best chance at easy wins with Duke, NC State and Virginia but heck except for Clemson being really good anything can happen in the ACC.

Notre Dame ACC opponents are set way out, I think through 2036. I’m sure they’re listed on this site.

I just wonder how they determined who each school would play on an annual basis? It seems like two rivals are nearby and the third is a bit outside of the geographic area.

I would have preferred a division setup where the 7 longest-serving ACC members form one division, and the 7 newest members the other, which would have enabled all four NC schools to play one another every year while keeping UNC-UVA on the schedule.

If they wanted to abandon divisions they should have gone with 4 protected opponents and 3 rotating ones on a 6-year schedule.

My proposed format could have allowed each NC school to play each of the others plus one out-of-state ACC opponent every year.

I think this is premature. Clemson/FSU/Miami maybe Virginia Tech will not be in the ACC in 2026. The SEC is looking to strengthen their brand more. If Notre Dame does decide to join the Big 10 (where they will almost double what the ACC would pay them), the 4 schools above will be looking to leave also. Screw Academics. This is about the almighty dollar$$$$.

Under my 4 permanent, 3 rotating format, these would be each team’s protected football opponents:

Boston College: Clemson, Miami, Pitt, Syracuse
Clemson: Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State
Duke: Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest
Florida State: Clemson, Louisville, Miami, Virginia
Georgia Tech: Clemson, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Louisville: Duke, Florida State, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Miami: Boston College, Florida State, Pitt, Syracuse
North Carolina: Duke, NC State, Virginia, Wake Forest
NC State: Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest
Pitt: Boston College, Georgia Tech, Miami, Syracuse
Syracuse: Boston College, Miami, Pitt, Virginia Tech
Virginia: Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech: Georgia Tech, Louisville, Syracuse, Virginia
Wake Forest: Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State

Each NC school gets the others as protected rivals, plus one out-of-state-opponent. Clemson-NC State and UNC-UVA are well-known rivalries, while Duke-Louisville is a battle between basketball blue bloods on the gridiron,

Miami also gets Florida State and all three Northeast schools, and Syracuse gets all its former Big East rivals from the golden age of Big East football.

It’s so sad that the NCAA lacked the power and backbone to stop the SEC and B!G 10 from creating a monopoly of the traditional college football we have had in the past. The ACC has always been a super basketball conference. ACC schools that leave the conference will not only be a detriment to basketball but to all the other collegiate sports. It also seems very funny that the people who are so involved with climate change do not consider the miles of travel which will take place with all these schools leaving for distant locations. Academics has become less serious since big money is what seems to be important for all these so-called prestigious schools of academic learning. Certainly, a sad view of our future.