The ACC revealed 12 of its football teams will play a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, while the remaining five will still have an eight-game league slate “due to contractural obligations and scheduling balance,” the conference announced as part of Tuesday’s 2026 schedule release.

The ACC previously announced plans to adopt a nine-game conference schedule on Sept. 22 to better align with the rest of the Power Four conferences after the SEC formally adopted a nine-game conference schedule beginning in 2026 earlier this season. But given the unbalanced nature of the conference with 17 football teams, the league will debut a new schedule structure during a transitional 2026 college football season “designed to balance competitive equity, honor existing non-conference game contracts and account for the league’s unique 17-team footprint,” according to the release.

Next season, that new schedule structure will give 12 ACC teams — Cal, Duke, Louisville, Miami, NC State, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest — a nine-game conference slate, while the five remaining ACC teams — Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina — will keep an eight-game conference slate in 2026.

Beginning in 2027, the ACC will transition to 16 teams playing a full nine-game conference schedule, with one team playing eight league games while also scheduling two additional non-ACC Power Four opponents to accommodate the conference’s new policy requiring each team to play 10 Power Four games per season.

2026 ACC opponents for teams with 9-game conference schedule

CALIFORNIA
Home: Clemson, Pitt, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Away: NC State, SMU, Syracuse, Virginia
 
DUKE
Home: Boston College, Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford
Away: Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, Virginia, Wake Forest
 
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 (College Football Brasil)
 
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 (College Football Brasil), 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

2026 ACC opponents for teams with 8-game conference schedule

BOSTON COLLEGE
Home: Florida State, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
Away: Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, SMU
 
CLEMSON
Home: Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Away: California, Duke, Florida State, Syracuse
 
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
 
NORTH CAROLINA
Home: Louisville, Miami, NC State, Syracuse
Away: Clemson, Duke, Pitt, Virginia