ACC pledges fix to tiebreakers after title game fiasco, announces 2026 opponents for new nine-game schedule

The ACC opponents for each team in 2026 are set as they begin moving to a nine-game schedule

The ACC released the conference opponents for each team during the 2026 football season on Tuesday as it begins the move to a 9-game schedules. However, the most notable nugget of information may have been a single line tucked into the release announcing they will have an updated tiebreaker policy for 2026.

This comes on the heels of Duke's shocking ACC Championship win as a 5-loss team that caused chaos for the College Football Playoff. Duke's victory over Virginia in the ACC title game sent James Madison to the CFP as the fifth-highest ranked conference champion, with Miami making it as an at-large team that didn't play in the ACC Championship Game. The ACC did not offer any specifics right now about what will be changed, but simply that the new tiebreaker policy will be announced at some point before next season.

As for the schedule itself, the 2026 campaign will be a unique one as they transition to the nine-game schedule. That's because five teams -- Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina -- will continue to play just eight ACC games in 2026 due to two previously scheduled games with Power 4 opponents. The other 12 teams move to nine games with one other P4 opponent. 

Starting in 2027, because there are 17 schools in the ACC, each year there will be one team that only plays eight conference opponents. That team, which will rotate each year, will have to schedule two P4 opponents in that season.

That also figures to impact tiebreakers as not every team will play the same number of conference games, which will have to be part of the calculus for the updated tiebreaker policy.

Below you can find the ACC opponents that will be on the 2026 schedule for all 17 teams. 

Boston College 

Home: Florida State, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
Away: Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, SMU

California

Home: Clemson, Pitt, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Away: NC State, SMU, Syracuse, Virginia

Clemson

Home: Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: California, Duke, Florida State, Syracuse

Duke

Home: Boston College, Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford
Away: Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, Virginia, Wake Forest

Florida State 

Home: Clemson, NC State, SMU, Virginia
Away: Boston College, Louisville, Miami, Pitt

Georgia Tech 

Home: Boston College, Duke, Louisville, Wake Forest
Away: Clemson, Pitt, Stanford, Virginia Tech

Louisville

Home: Florida State, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Wake Forest
Away: Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse

Miami 

Home: Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Pitt, Virginia Tech
Away: Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford, Wake Forest

NC State

Home: California, Duke, Louisville, Syracuse, Wake Forest
Away: Florida State, North Carolina, Stanford, Virginia (in Brazil)

North Carolina 

Home: Louisville, Miami, NC State, Syracuse
Away: Clemson, Duke, Pitt, Virginia

Pitt

Home: Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Syracuse
Away: Boston College, California, Louisville, Miami, Virginia Tech

SMU

Home: Boston College, California, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Away: Florida State, Louisville, Stanford, Syracuse

Stanford 

Home: Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, SMU
Away: California, Duke, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Syracuse

Home: California, Clemson, Louisville, SMU
Away: Boston College, North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, Virginia

Virginia

Home: California, Duke, North Carolina, NC State (in Brazil), Syracuse
Away: Florida State, SMU, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Virginia Tech

Home: Georgia Tech, Pitt, Stanford, Virginia
Away: Boston College, California, Clemson, Miami, SMU

Wake Forest 

Home: Duke, Miami, Stanford, Virginia
Away: California, Georgia Tech, Louisville, NC State, SMU