ACC Will Consider Changes to Conference Championship Game Format, Commissioner Says

Zach BacharContributor IJanuary 20, 2025

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Changes could be coming to the current ACC championship game format

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips revealed on Sunday that discussions will take place between coaches and athletic directors regarding potential adjustments to the conference championship game, according to ESPN’s Andrea Adelson.

Phillips suggested that the ACC could consider giving its regular-season champion a bye and have the second and third-ranked teams in the league standings play in the ACC championship game, per Adelson.

“You go through the regular season and whoever wins the regular season, just park them to the side, and then you play the second-place team versus the third-place team in your championship game,” Phillips said, via Adelson. “So you have a regular-season champion, and then you have a conference tournament or postseason champion.”

The change can potentially allow more teams from the conference to compete in the College Football Playoff, which gives automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions under the current format.

In 2024, SMU sat at 11-1 and owned the No. 8 spot in the CFP rankings entering a matchup with Clemson in the ACC championship game. The Mustangs lost to the Tigers, although they were still able to earn the final berth in the CFP despite losing an opportunity to automatically clinch a spot.

The proposal could ensure that a team headed towards a CFP appearance without a conference title, such as SMU, wouldn’t risk falling out of the 12-team field with a loss in the ACC championship contest.

Another possibility is the top four teams facing off against each other during the final weekend of the regular season and the winners advancing to compete in the ACC championship game (via Adelson).

Conversations will continue at the league’s winter meetings, and changes could be coming to the ACC title game layout.