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The ACC will move into a new era in 2024 given the additions of Cal, Stanford, and SMU. The league has now released its first schedules with those incoming members, and it’s left many fans puzzled.
Conference realignment has shaken things up over the last few offseasons, creating some difficult decisions when it comes to scheduling.
We saw it in the SEC when it released future slates to include Texas and Oklahoma. A number of traditional rivalries were scratched, a theme that will only continue should the league stick to its eight-game conference format.
It’s sure to take place in the Big Ten and Big XII, too, as new schools are welcomed.
That doesn’t make it any less infuriating for those fans that have grown accustomed to playing certain teams every season. That’s the case this week in the ACC following the initial schedule release.
ACC scheduling model for next 7 years & fittingly it has a permanent “Ask a question” button. So I asked “When are you doing to have to redo these again?” No response yet pic.twitter.com/o85I3ryt3b
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 30, 2023
Most have been focused on Cal and Stanford as they’ll be forced to make 3-4 trips to the East Coast throughout the season. The Bears will travel to Wake Forest, Pitt, SMU, and Florida State next year. Stanford will make the haul to Clemson, North Carolina State, and Syracuse.
That’s a little over 7,500 miles for those counting at home. At least the league did them a favor by keeping the Bears and Cardinal as annual rivals.
Speaking of those permanent rivalries, we can conclude league assignments based on those seven future schedules.
Permanent annual ACC rivalries for next 7 years:
BC-Pitt
BC-Syracuse
Cal-SMU
Cal-Stanford
Clemson-FSU
Duke-UNC
Duke-NC State
Duke-Wake
FSU-Miami
Miami-Virginia Tech
UNC-Virginia
NC State-Wake
Pitt-Syracuse
SMU-Stanford
Virginia-Virginia TechGa Tech & Louisville have none
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 30, 2023
Of note, the three newbies will play every single season, seemingly in a move to limit travel as best as possible. Some games left off the schedule?
Duke-UNC, Clemson-NC State, and Clemson-Georgia Tech. Hell, the Yellow Jackets didn’t even get a permanent rival despite having been in the ACC since 1978.
Louisville was the other member not to be given a rival.
The ACC schedule reveal was met with some harsh criticism.
“Ah, the legendary SMU-Cal and SMU-Stanford rivalries,” one follower wrote. SMU has played each program exactly once in its history, with neither coming after 1960.
“So, Georgia Tech and Louisville have no rivals, but Duke gets three?” asked someone else.
“Well, they kept Clemson-FSU because both will likely be elsewhere,” this fan commented, noting the growing frustrations the schools have expressed with the conference.
Now, it’s not all bad. Florida State-Miami, UNC-NC State, and Virginia-Virginia Tech were preserved. The league also did its best to play on those former Big East ties with the Hurricanes, Hokies, Boston College, Pitt, and Syracuse.
Still, there’s a something left to be desired, and the fans are letting the league know.