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The ACC is currently clinging to life as one of college football’s remaining “Power 4” conferences.
Its top two programs, Florida State and Clemson, are doing everything they can to escape the conference, and even with both, the ACC is miles behind the SEC and Big Ten in terms of competition.
The conference had a chance to swing the narrative back in its favor this week at its annual football Media Day. But instead, the ACC did just the opposite with a banner accidentally dunking on itself.
ACC brags about the toughest non conference is the most ACC thing pic.twitter.com/GWFYXqGHcS
— Chris McCulley (@ChrisMcCulleyTV) July 22, 2024
ACC Media Day Banner Addresses The Big Problem With The ACC
“Toughest Non-Conference Schedule In The Country,” the banner read.
On its face, that’s not that bad. After all, you can say “hey, our teams go and seek out difficult competition.” Especially after some feel Florida State was snubbed from the College Football Playoff a year ago.
But then you begin to delve into the “why” aspect of that claim.
Why are the best teams in the country so comfortable playing the ACC in non-conference games? And why do ACC teams feel the need to load up on such difficult non-conference schedules?
The answers tend to shine a particularly negative light on the conference.
For one. Teams aren’t afraid of the ACC. There’s no concern that they might lose those non-conference games. And if they did, they probably aren’t ending up playoff contenders anyone.
Then from the ACC side of things, teams believe they need to schedule difficult out-of-conference games in order to make the CFP. Because the teams in the ACC aren’t good enough to carry a CFP resume.
Take, for instance, the Seminoles just last year.
The ACC is on its last legs as a legitimate football conference. Everybody inside and outside the conference knows this. It’s why ACC commissioner Jim Phillips has a death grip on FSU and Clemson. Those programs are his last hope of remaining relevant in the current college sports landscape.
But sooner or later, reality is going to come calling. And even the ACC’s own banners appear to acknowledge that.