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ACC Sports: What if Notre Dame joined in football?

By Brandon Griffin

Apr 22, 2017; Notre Dame, IN, USA; A Notre Dame Fighting Irish football helmet sits on the field following the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; Notre Dame, IN, USA; A Notre Dame Fighting Irish football helmet sits on the field following the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 3, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) celebrates with the trophy after defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies 42-35 in the ACC Championship college football game at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) celebrates with the trophy after defeating the Virginia Tech Hokies 42-35 in the ACC Championship college football game at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Realignment

This is where the fun begins.

Now, this is only in regards to football, but currently, the ACC is in a bit of an alignment difficulty.

Due partly to the fact that Miami was supposed to be better, the current alignment is top heavy in the Atlantic, where the ACC’s best three teams preside.

With the addition of a 15th and a 16th school, it would give the ACC the chance to realign the teams and make potentially fairer divisions.

The first thought would be North/South divisions. This would eliminate the overstated titles of Atlantic and Coastal and fit something more geographically sound.

In this alignment, the divisions would look something like this (I am assuming Cincinnati is the 16th school):

North: Boston College, Cincinnati, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, and Virginia Tech

South: Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest

This alignment gives each division two of the four best teams while also preserving some classic rivalries. It also has the added benefit of putting the four Carolina schools together again, something that has been an issue since alignment originally occurred.

The biggest issues are that the two best teams are still in the same division. Though this seems like a problem, it isn’t an issue in either the SEC or the Big Ten.

Oct 29, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end Josh Sweat (9) cannot bring down Clemson Tigers running back Wayne Gallman (9) during the game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end Josh Sweat (9) cannot bring down Clemson Tigers running back Wayne Gallman (9) during the game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /

It also guarantees a Florida State/Clemson game, the ACC’s highest-rated game, every season, something that might not happen if the two were split.

It also causes some issues with certain long time rivalries like UNC/Virginia, but that game doesn’t carry the same weight anymore.

The biggest issue is the one that already exists. With only eight conference games, this lowers the opportunities for the teams to play the other division down to one game every nine years (minus championships), every 18 years in return trips to their stadium.

This can create recruiting issues. Syracuse and Boston College are limited to trips to talent-rich Florida to twice in an 18-year span. Whereas schools like Clemson and Duke would go every year.

Even if they increased the conference schedule to nine games this still means each team plays the other division teams twice every eight years. Better, but could it be better still?

This leads to a radical new idea. Instead of two big divisions, there would be four subdivisions, that would look like this:

Carolina: Duke, NC State, North Carolina, Wake Forest

Southern: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami

Old Big East: Boston College, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse

Central: Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Virginia, Virginia Tech

First of all the ACC would have to go to nine conference games. Each season a division would play a rotating division and then the school it finished equal too in the other two divisions.

So if UNC finished second in the Carolina league, the next year they would play the Southern and then the team that finished second in both the Old Big East and the Central. The following season they would play the Old Big East and then the Central.

This would mean outside of your division, each team would play the other teams once very three years, home and away once every six.

It’s what the NFL does and it is wildly successful. It also rewards teams for being good by giving them more opportunities to play better opponents.

The other thing this system does is it would create the firs- ever conference football semifinals. This would push the season to a possible 16 games for some and would require the ACC to start their season a week early.

However, it would be financially amazing. TV networks would jump all over this. The four division winners would play one week and then the winners the next. It would be like a playoff before the playoff.

This gives the ACC the chance at an additional strong matchup which will only help in the selection committee’s decision.

The negatives are the starting a week earlier, but that won’t last but a few years as every other conference will want to do this for the prestige and the money.

If you are going to change things up you might as well go all in and do something awesome and revolutionary.

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