HK3: The ACC

As part of the comprehensive HK3 proposal for college football, below is a sample four-year scheduling application of the HK3 scheduling protocol, for the realigned ACC per the HK3 conference realignment structure.

Through 2004, 12 member institutions joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), ten of which remain today, with the exceptions of South Carolina (SEC) and Maryland (B1G), which departed in 1953 and 2014 respectively. Maryland is retuned to the ACC, leaving a one-spot vacancy.

Post-2004, five additional members joined: Boston College, Notre Dame (while retaining football independence), Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Louisville. Notre Dame relinquishes football independence (for which, it is given special scheduling privileges), while the other four additions are returned to the regenerated Big East.

ACC Scheduling Protocol

Alongside the rest of the FBS, the ACC regular season would start 82 days before Thanksgiving, barring any Week 0 showcase game involvement, on a weekend typically coinciding with Labor Day Weekend.

The ACC regular season schedule is as follows:

• Weeks 1–12 — Regular Season
• Week 13 — Regular Season Rivalry Week
• Week 14 — Regular Season Championship Week
• Weeks 16–18 — Postseason Bowl Championship Series (BCS)
• Weeks 20–22 — Postseason College Football Playoff (CFP)

For each ACC team, the scheduling criteria is as follows:

• 14 weeks
• 12 games (2 byes each)
• I. 8 (+1) conference games (9 total games)
• II. SEC crossover games (1)
• III. P6 rotational crossover games (1)
• IV. AAC (G6) crossover games (1)

As referenced above, Notre Dame realizes special scheduling privileges as part of its joining the ACC. Notre Dame foregoes all crossover games (II-IV) to maintain rivalries with USC (II), Navy (III) as well as a choice rivalry (IV), be it Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford…

The ACC Week 13 Rivalry Week games are accounted for in either the I. conference games (8/12), or the II. SEC crossover games (4/12). 10 designated rivalry games are in-state (excluding Miami vs. Notre Dame), while eight are in-conference (3 vs. SEC, 1 vs. BEAST). The W13 rivalries are:

• I. Duke — Wake Forest (Tobacco Road)
• I. Miami — Notre Dame (Catholics vs. Convicts)
• I. North Carolina — NC State (Tobacco Road)
• I. Virginia — Virginia Tech (Commonwealth Challenge)
• II. Clemson — South Carolina (Palmetto Bowl)
• II. Florida State — Florida (Sunshine Showdown)
• II. Georgia Tech — Georgia (Clean, Old Fashioned Hate)
• II. Maryland — Navy (Jimmy Crab Bowl Classic)

Based on the pre-determined start date for college football, Week 13 rivalry games would always fall on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

I. Conference Games

All ACC teams would play 8 (+1) conference games, for a total of 9 each (54 total ACC conference games). Five conference games are annual, mimicking the feel of divisional play without the actual existence of divisions.

Each team would play 3/6 of their remaining conference opponents each year on an A-B-C rotational basis, whereas each team has 2As, 2Bs, 2Cs. Each team would:

A: Play both As in even years (alternating one home/one away)

B: Play both Bs in odd years (alternating one home/one away)

C: Play one C in back-to-back years (home/away); play the other C in back-to-back years (home/away)

Over a four year period, each team would play their two As, two Bs, and two Cs both home and away, once each. Therefore, over a standard four year college period, each school is guaranteed to host and visit every conference opponent at least once.

Weeks 1–12: 44 ACC conference games would take place within Weeks 1–12, with four ACC teams (Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland) playing all eight of its non-championship week conference games within the span.

Week 13: Rivalry Week comprises four additional ACC conference games, as well as four in-state games between ACC and non-ACC teams.

A summary of the ACC annual conference games, the ACC A-B-Cs, and all SEC conference games contained in Weeks 1–13 for the four-year scheduling application is below:

Week 14: Week 14 comprises the final conference games (ninth for each team, 54th for the conference), which includes the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte, NC. Those games are determined and scheduled via the standings after eight conference games, as followed:

• 1 vs. 2 (ACC Championship Game) — Charlotte, NC
• 3 vs. 4
• 5 vs. 6
• 7 vs. 8
• 9 vs. 10
• 11 vs. 12

Scheduling Note — The locations of Week 14 games (except the Charlotte-based ACC Championship Game), are determined as follows:

• 1 — If there is an at least two game disparity in total number of home games (e.g. 5/6 vs 7/4), the team with lesser home games played would host (used 5x in this ACC four-year scheduling sample below).
• 2 — If no such disparity, if the Week 14 game is a rematch, the away team from the earlier matchup would host (11x).
• 3 — If not a rematch, if there is a one-game disparity in the number of home games, the team with one less home game played would host (2x).
• 4 — If no such disparity, the higher (better) seed, as ranked by the SEC’s tiebreaking criteria, would host (2x).

The results of these Week 14 matchups determine the final conference standings, which consequentially determines one non-conference game (III) as well as its location, as detailed in III below.

Important to note, teams cannot be ranked outside of the corresponding rankings to the Week 14 game it played. For example, the winner of the 5–6 game is the 5th ranked team in the final standings; the loser is 6th. As a result, it would not be uncommon for a 7th ranked team to have a better final record, yet lower ranking, than the 6th ranked team.

II. SEC Crossover Games

The ACC would play 10 games against the SEC, three of which are fixed on an annual basis:

• Clemson vs. South Carolina
• Florida State vs. Florida
• Georgia Tech vs. Georgia

The ACC (Navy vs. Maryland) and SEC (Kentucky vs. Louisville) each play one game against the Big East which usurps the SEC crossover game spot, for lack of fit elsewhere.

Finally, Notre Dame, which forgoes all crossover games to maintain existing rivalries (as part of its special privilege associated with joining a conference), plays USC in the II spot.

As a result of this imbalance (two SEC non-participants: three ACC), an SEC team would play a Pac-12 team in an annual SEC-P12 displacement game. Proposed for this annual matchup are two incipient rivalries:

• Vanderbilt vs. Stanford
• Tennessee vs. UCLA

When not playing in the displacement game, Vanderbilt and Tennessee are slated to play Duke per the protocol.

Remaining are six teams from both the ACC (Miami [1], Wake Forest [2], Virginia Tech [3], Virginia [4], North Carolina [5], NC State[6]) and SEC (Auburn [1], Alabama [2], Mississippi State [3], Ole Miss [4], LSU [5], Arkansas[6]).

ACC teams play SEC teams in the following 12-digit repetitive sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… Starting with:

• 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…
• 2: 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…
• 3: 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 1, 2, 3…
• 4: 5, 6, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4…
• 5: 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 1…
• 6: 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2…

However, instead of Duke playing solely Tennessee and Vanderbilt, twice each every four years, substitutions are proposed to replace half of Duke’s matchups with Tennessee/Vanderbilt, to give all three teams additional matchups.

In a repeating eight year sequence (which alternates home/away), these matchups would occur in the following years:

• North Carolina vs Tennessee: 2, 5…
• Virginia vs Vanderbilt: 3, 8…

When these substitution matchups occur, Duke would play whomever North Carolina/Virginia would have played (these instances are bolded above) per the sequence.

Regarding the sample schedule, below are Duke’s ACC crossover games:

• 2022: Duke @ Tennessee
• 2023: Mississippi State @ Duke
• 2024: Duke @ Arkansas
• 2025: Vanderbilt @ Duke

Per the protocol, in the subsequent years 2026–2029, Duke would host Tennessee and visit Vanderbilt. Additionally, Duke would add games with Auburn and LSU in the years that Tennessee/Vanderbilt alternate with North Carolina/Virginia.

Note — Once every four years (2025), Duke would play Vanderbilt, while Northwestern plays Stanford in an all-academia pair of matchups.

III. P6 Rotational Crossover Games

The ACC would rotate between the other P6 conferences, excluding the SEC which it plays every year, for an all-conference top-down series of games.

The P6 rotational crossover runs counter to II. As opposed to rotating matchups against the same conference, these matchups are determined by the prior season’s order of conference finish (1s play the 2s, 3s play the 4s…) against a rotation of four conferences.

For all matchups, the higher (better) seed is the home team, thus introducing a unique incentive. Not only do Week 14 matchups determine the P6 rotational crossovers for the following season, they are competed for an additional home game.

The ACC P6 rotational crossover game series, in a repeating pattern, are:

• 2022 — ACC vs. Big Ten
• 2023 — ACC vs. Pac-12
• 2024 — ACC vs. Big East
• 2025 — ACC vs. Big 12

The only exception to the P6 Rotational Crossover is Notre Dame versus Navy (BEAST), which creates an annual Notre Dame-Navy Adjustment Game.

As the ACC plays the BEAST in III, the conference would take part in one Notre Dame-Navy Adjustment Game every four years.

An example (2024) of the ACC’s P6 rotational crossover games, which includes its quadrennial Notre Dame-Navy Adjustment Game, is below (assumes Navy finished 2nd in BEAST in 2021):

• Notre Dame vs. Navy
• #2 ACC @ #2 BEAST (the would be opponents of ND/Navy)
• #4 ACC @ #3 BEAST; #4 BEAST @ #3 ACC
• #6 ACC @ #5 BEAST; #6 BEAST @ #5 ACC
• #8 ACC @ #7 BEAST; #8 BEAST @ #7 ACC
• #10 ACC @ #9 BEAST; #10 BEAST @ #9 ACC
• #12 ACC @ #11 BEAST; #12 BEAST @ #11 ACC

Irrespective of finish position, the would-be opponents of Notre Dame and Navy would play. In the schedule below, Clemson (who would have visited Navy) visits (by nature of coin toss) West Virginia (who would have visited Notre Dame).

IV. American Athletic (G6) Crossover Games

As part of the FBS conference framework, the SEC is paired with the Sun Belt Conference (SBT) as its affiliate conference. Below is a summary of the SEC and SBT’s IV games:

• ACC: 10 AAC, 1 SBT (ND N/A)
• AAC: 10 ACC, 2 BEAST

IV also represents an allowance for customization within the schedule. An ACC team can forego an AAC crossover game to schedule an alternate game, thereby forging a vacancy for the AAC team to schedule elsewhere.

As referenced in II above, the SEC and ACC would play a minimum of 10 games annually as part of the protocol’s crossover series; however, the alternate game latitude would enable the conferences to maintain important rivalries such as Miami vs. Florida (to uphold the three-way Florida Cup rivalry between Florida, Florida State and Miami), or to resurrect historic rivalries such as Georgia Tech vs. Auburn, or Clemson vs. Georgia.

ACC-AAC: Notre Dame does not participate in the P6-GC crossover. As a result, there are a maximum of 11 ACC teams available.

The remaining 11 ACC teams are defaulted, 10 of which would play the AAC, with one proposed biennual matchup (NC State vs. East Carolina). The remaining ACC team would play a team from the Sun Belt.

The AAC thus would then play 10 against the ACC, less scheduled alternates. Its remaining two teams have fixed non-affiliate crossovers with the Big East: Massachusetts vs. Boston College, Marshall vs. West Virginia.

For the purposes of rivalry preservation and renewal of historic rivalries, Miami is proposed to play Florida biennually (even years).

The NC State vs. East Carolina and Miami vs. Florida games would alternate locations. As a result, NC State and Miami would play 3/4 of its IV games at home.

Furthermore, to demonstrate the customization/substitution of IV, there are four proposed alternate games in 2022–25:

• 2022: South Carolina @ North Carolina; Tennessee @ Georgia Tech
• 2023: Georgia Tech @ Auburn
• 2024: -
• 2025: Clemson @ Georgia

These games would most commonly be scheduled as a two-part series (one home/one away).

In these four years, the ACC and SEC play 13, 11, 11 and 11 games. An odd number of games is preferable as it would ensure a victor in a proposed, to-be-named ACC-SEC conference trophy.

Sample ACC Schedules:

Below is the ACC scheduling protocol, as well as sample four-year schedules for each team.

All alternate games (recurring or one-off), Notre Dame choice games, ACC-SEC recurring substitutions, and Notre Dame-Navy adjustment games (15) are italicized. Week 14 games are identified in bold/parenthesis.

Clemson Tigers

2022

Home: Coastal Carolina, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech

Away: Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame

Neutral: Notre Dame (ACC Championship)

2023

Home: Appalachian State, Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Virginia

Away: Florida State, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Neutral: Notre Dame (ACC Championship)

2024

Home: Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Tech

Away: Duke, Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, West Virginia, (Miami)

2025

Home: Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, Texas, Wake Forest, (North Carolina)

Away: Florida State, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Duke Blue Devils

2022

Home: East Carolina, Florida State, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia , (Georgia Tech)

Away: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Maryland, Tennessee, Wake Forest

2023

Home: Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Western Carolina, (NC State)

Away: North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Virginia

2024

Home: Clemson, Coastal Carolina, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech

Away: Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, South Florida, Wake Forest, (NC State)

2025

Home: Colorado, Georgia Tech, Liberty, Maryland, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest

Away: Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech, (Wake Forest)

Florida State Seminoles

2022

Home: Florida, Florida Atlantic, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, (Maryland)

Away: Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Virginia

2023

Home: Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia, (Virginia)

Away: Arizona State, Florida, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech

2024

Home: Duke, Florida, Florida International, Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh

Away: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest

Neutral: North Carolina (ACC Championship)

2025

Home: Charlotte, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, (Notre Dame)

Away: Florida, Maryland, Miami, NC State, Notre Dame

Georgia Tech Ramblin’ Wreck

2022

Home: Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech

Away: Clemson, Maryland, Miami, Wake Forest, (Duke)

2023

Home: Arizona, Clemson, Miami, NC State, Wake Forest

Away: Auburn, Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Virginia, Virginia Tech, (Wake Forest)

2024

Home: Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia State, Maryland, Rutgers, Virginia Tech

Away: Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, (Virginia Tech)

2025

Home: Florida International, Kansas State, Miami, Notre Dame, Virginia, Wake Forest, (NC State)

Away: Duke, Florida State, Georgia, NC State, Virginia Tech

Maryland Terrapins

2022

Home: Duke, Georgia Tech, Liberty, Navy, Northwestern, Virginia, Wake Forest

Away: Miami, NC State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, (Florida State)

2023

Home: California, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Old Dominion, Virginia Tech

Away: Duke, Florida State, Navy, Virginia, Wake Forest, (North Carolina)

2024

Home: Connecticut, Duke, Miami, Navy, Virginia, Wake Forest

Away: Clemson, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, NC State, Virginia Tech, (Wake Forest)

2025

Home: Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Kansas, NC State, Virginia Tech, (Virginia)

Away: Duke, Navy, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest

Miami Hurricanes

2022

Home: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, NC State, Purdue

Away: Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Virginia, Virginia Tech, (Wake Forest)

2023

Home: Alabama, Florida International, Florida State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington State

Away: Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State, (Virginia Tech)

2024

Home: Clemson, Florida, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia, (Clemson)

Away: Florida State, Maryland, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Temple, Virginia Tech

2025

Home: Duke, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech

Away: Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Wake Forest

Neutral: Virginia Tech (ACC Championship)

North Carolina Tar Heels

2022

Home: Clemson, NC State, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, (Virginia Tech)

Away: Alabama, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Michigan, South Carolina, Virginia

2023

Home: Charlotte, Duke, Florida State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, (Maryland)

Away: Maryland, NC State, Notre Dame, Utah, Wake Forest

2024

Home: Central Florida, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, NC State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Wake Forest

Away: Clemson, Duke, Miami, Virginia

Neutral: Florida State (ACC Championship)

2025

Home: Appalachian State, Duke, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Virginia

Away: NC State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, (Clemson)

NC State Wolfpack

2022

Home: Clemson, Maryland, Old Dominion, Virginia, Wake Forest

Away: Duke, Miami, Minnesota, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, (Virginia)

2023

Home: Duke, East Carolina, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, (Duke)

Away: BYU, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest

2024

Home: Clemson, Louisville, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Western Carolina, (Duke)

Away: Duke, Florida State, LSU, North Carolina, Virginia

2025

Home: Arkansas, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina

Away: Clemson, East Carolina, Maryland, Notre Dame, TCU, Wake Forest, (Georgia Tech)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2022

Home: Clemson, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, USC, Virginia Tech

Away: Florida State, Navy, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest

Neutral: Clemson (ACC Championship)

2023

Home: Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Navy, North Carolina, Virginia

Away: Clemson, Maryland, Miami, NC State, USC

Neutral: Clemson (ACC Championship)

2024

Home: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami, USC, Wake Forest, (Virginia)

Away: Florida State, Michigan, Navy, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech

2025

Home: Florida State, Navy, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia

Away: Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Stanford, USC, (Florida State)

Virginia Cavaliers

2022

Home: Alabama-Birmingham, Florida State, Iowa State, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, (NC State)

Away: Duke, LSU, Maryland, NC State, Virginia Tech

2023

Home: Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Liberty, Maryland, Stanford, Virginia Tech

Away: Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, (Florida State)

2024

Home: Appalachian State, Florida State, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame

Away: Boston College, Maryland, Miami, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, (Notre Dame)

2025

Home: Auburn, Clemson, Marshall, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest

Away: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Missouri, North Carolina, Notre Dame, (Maryland)

Virginia Tech Hokies

2022

Home: Florida International, Maryland, Miami, NC State, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech

Away: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, (North Carolina)

2023

Home: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, LSU, Marshall, Wake Forest, Washington, (Miami)

Away: Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia

2024

Home: Army, Liberty, Maryland, Miami, Notre Dame, Virginia, (Georgia Tech)

Away: Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State

2025

Home: Alabama, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Old Dominion

Away: Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Oklahoma, Virginia

Neutral: Miami (ACC Championship)

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2022

Home: Connecticut, Duke, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, (Miami)

Away: Florida State, Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State

2023

Home: Arkansas State, Auburn, Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, (Georgia Tech)

Away: Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, UCLA, Virginia Tech

2024

Home: Charlotte, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia, (Maryland)

Away: Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Syracuse

2025

Home: Georgia Southern, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi State, North Carolina, NC State, (Duke)

Away: Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, Virginia

Scheduling Note — While Notre Dame and Navy alternate home locations on paper, traditionally games in the series alternate between South Bend, IN and a non-affiliated location (such as Dublin, Philadelphia, San Diego). Notre Dame home games are assumed to take place in South Bend, while Navy home games are assumed to take place elsewhere.