CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced a new football championship tiebreaker policy that will take effect beginning with the 2026 season, reflecting the league's transition to a nine-game conference schedule and ensuring a fair and equitable process for determining participants in the ACC Football Championship Game.
The updated tiebreaking procedure is built on three guiding principles:
The updated championship tiebreaker policy was developed to reward head-to-head results, account for the league's teams playing an alternate number of conference games, while also identifying the two most deserving teams to compete for the ACC Football Championship and the conference's automatic berth into the College Football Playoff.
The revised policy was approved following a comprehensive review by the ACC's Athletics Directors. The evaluation included more than 10,000 simulated season outcomes to ensure the model fairly addressed a wide range of championship scenarios.
The 2026 season marks the beginning of the ACC's move to a nine-game conference schedule and presents a unique transition year. Due to previously scheduled non-conference games against Power 4 opponents, five ACC institutions—Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina—will continue to play eight conference games in 2026. The league's remaining 12 programs will play nine conference games while also facing one Power 4 non-conference opponent.
Beginning in 2027, the ACC's 17-member football alignment will result in one institution each season playing an eight-game conference schedule on a rotating basis. That school will be required to schedule two Power 4 non-conference opponents, while the remaining 16 institutions will play nine conference games.
The complete ACC Football Championship tiebreaker procedures are available at theACC.com.