During league meetings for the ACC in Amelia Island this week, Miami Hurricanes athletic director Dan Radakovich said the conference is closer to the end than the beginning with the possibility of eliminating the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions. The ACC added divisions when Boston College joined the league in 2005.
Miami and Virginia Tech were the first wave of a big expansion in 2004. Florida State joined the ACC in 1991, Georgia Tech in 1979 and the conference lost Maryland to the Big 10 in 2014. Pittsburgh and Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013 and Louisville followed in 2014. Notre Dame joined as a non-football member in 2013.
The projected new football schedule format would have ACC schools play three teams annually and the other 10 on a rotating basis every other year. The format would be known as a 3-5-5 schedule. Two of the rivals for the Miami Hurricanes would almost definitely be Florida State and Virginia Tech annually.
Miami currently plays Florida State in their annual ACC crossover game and Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Virginia Tech as Coastal divisional games every season. There has been some speculation that the new schedule could have Clemson and Miami playing annually.
The next big step is discussing the possibility with TV partners. Still some talk, too, about 2 permanent opponents and 6 rotating but, as Miami AD Dan Radakovich said today about scheduling chatter: "We're much nearer to the end than the beginning."
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) May 10, 2022
Playing Clemson, Florida State and Virginia Tech would place Miami against the three other best programs historically in the ACC. All four programs have played for a national championship in the last 25 years. The proposal from the ACC would restore some lost rivalries and allow conference teams to play more frequently.
Part of the reasoning for getting rid of the divisions is to create more parity. Last season Pittsburgh became the first Coastal division team to win the ACC Championship since Virginia Tech in 2010. Clemson won titles in 2011 and 2015 through 2020. Florida State won the ACC from 2012 through 2014.