Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

The ACC maintains Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Notre Dame*.

Founding

The ACC was established in 1953 as seven members of the Southern Conference left to create their own conference. These seven members, Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest, include five members who are still a part of the conference after Maryland and South Carolina left. The ACC was a seven-member conference until 1978 when the group expanded to include Georgia tech. In 1991 Florida State became a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and it wouldn't be until 2004 that another member joined the group when Miami (FL), Virginia Tech, and Boston College moved to the ACC.

Format and Scheduling

The ACC is split between the Atlantic and Coastal divisions. The winner of each division faces one another in the ACC title game. The ACC established a common practice of conference play, appointing each member to play six games within its division (three home, three away) and one permanent match-up with a member of the opposing division. They play one rotating match-up with another team in the opposing division, and the other four spots in the schedule are occupied by out-of-conference games. In 2017, ACC members became required to play at least one non-conference game against a "Power 5" opponent (ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, Pac-12, SEC) which bolsters the conference's chances of appearing in high-level postseason bowl games.

ACC Football Conference Championships by School

Recent ACC News