Does the ACC need realignment or is the ACC going through a slow phase?
Why?
If you’ve watch the ACC, the past decade has really been run by the ACC Atlantic with a ratio of 9-1 in favor of the Atlantic. This realignment would be more so to fix this imbalance and create better competition in a new league. Also, try to focus on the high-tier and mid-tier teams to point the new divisions in terms of current competition and future competition.
How Is This Determined?
| Team | Wins | Losses | W-L Ratio |
| Boston College Eagles | 38 | 38 | .500 |
| Clemson Tigers | 76 | 9 | .894 |
| Duke Blue Devils | 46 | 32 | .589 |
| Florida State Seminoles | 59 | 20 | .747 |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 42 | 34 | .553 |
| Louisville Cardinals | 48 | 29 | .623 |
| Miami Hurricanes | 49 | 29 | .628 |
| North Carolina Tarheels | 37 | 39 | .487 |
| North Carolina State Wolfpack | 43 | 34 | .558 |
| Pittsburgh Panthers | 41 | 37 | .523 |
| Syracuse Orange | 32 | 42 | .432 |
| Virginia Cavaliers | 27 | 47 | .365 |
| Virginia Tech Hokies | 47 | 32 | .595 |
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 32 | 43 | .426 |
The ACC added all of its current teams as of 2013, with the adding of Pittsburgh and Syracuse from the Big East. In spite of that, we have taken the win-loss ratio of all the ACC teams from the 2013 season to the 2018 season. Also, we have pushed in factors such as rivalries and location to base these new divisions. Also, we want the divisions to not hold the two best or two worst, so those teams will be separated.
The Divisions
| Atlantic Division | Coastal Division |
| Boston College Eagles | Florida State Seminoles |
| Clemson Tigers | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets |
| Duke Blue Devils | Miami Hurricanes |
| Louisville Cardinals | North Carolina State Wolfpack |
| North Carolina Tarheels | Pittsburgh Panthers |
| Syracuse Orange | Virginia Tech Hokies |
| Virginia Cavaliers | Wake Forest Demon Deacons |
Cross-Division Rivalries:
-Boston College vs Miami (NEW)
-Clemson vs Georgia Tech
-Duke vs Wake Forest (NEW)
-Louisville vs Florida State (NEW)
-North Carolina vs North Carolina State
-Syracuse vs Pittsburgh
-Virginia vs Virginia Tech
There’s nothing wrong with new rivalries, right? Also, in the way the divisions are formed, your favorite teams and their rivalries will happen the same. The Boston College-Miami game is a new look on far north against the far south. Both of these areas yield totally different talent and cultures, would be fun to seem them clash. Next, the Duke-Wake Forest new rivalry has been one that just needed more light on it. These two teams are in the same state, so why not make it a new permanent rivalry. Finally, the Florida State-Louisville rivalry will be a great one for ACC fans. Often times, these two are at the top of the ACC and clash in division games, so this just brings it to a rivalry level and it is now more meaningful.
Any New Teams?
As of now, I don’t think the ACC could use anymore teams. However, further down the line I think it is very plausible that the ACC looks to grow into an even bigger sides. At first glance, some teams jump out in the possible expansion. This group would be: Notre Dame, Cincinnati, UCF, and USF. All of these teams would be able to attribute to the ACC’s football power and make sense geographically. The UCF one is a bit of a stretch, however, the Knights need a conference if they want true recognition. Next, we have the group that leans towards “not-so-serious”, which consists of: WVU, Memphis, and UConn. I say “not-so-serious” because West Virginia already has a well-built conference, Memphis ventures further west (not an ACC agenda), and UConn has nothing to add football-wise.
Photo Credits: https://fbschedules.com/2019-acc-football-schedule-announced/
