Will the ACC go with an eight-game conference schedule, or a nine-game version? One possible answer may surprise you a little…
Speaking at Tech’s media day, Bobinski brought up an intriguing alternative to the nine-game league schedule – keeping the league schedule at eight games but requiring that teams play two non-conference games against power-conference teams. The ACC already has a mandate that goes into effect in 2017 that league teams play one such game.
… but the reason surely won’t.
The impetus for the discussion is the desire to provide inventory for the ACC Network, whose 2019 launch was made official in July. The channel will broadcast 40 regular-season games annually. The conference has already agreed to expand its basketball conference schedule from 18 games to 20, starting in the 2019-20 season.
Gotta have product, man.
Between the playoffs and the networks, it’s getting to be a tougher world for cupcakes.
Get The Picture 
I guess it’s probably not lost on anyone that playing a random P5 team will most likely raise every ACC strength of schedule over adding a ninth conference game.
LikeLike
Well played
LikeLike
The SEC should do the same 8 conf, 2 P5/BCS crasher games
LikeLike
8 conference games equals potentially fewer loses for conference members..more bowl eligible teams and more $$$. Same theory as the SEC.
LikeLike
I like this idea better than more conference games myself. Georgia does this more than most any SEC team out there now.
LikeLike
Shrewd.
I like the ACC-SEC challenge idea. Although I’m sure a lot of those SEC West teams would be “meh”.
Honestly, I’d like more inter-sectional match-ups, but what do I know.
LikeLike
What about ACC vs. SEC East and Big XII vs. SEC West?
LikeLike
I don’t like 9 conference games (unless it is true round robin like Big XII) because of the home away split – competitive disadvantage in certain years. 10 would be better.
20 basketball games makes perfect sense, “product” or not. It’s a 15 team league. It isn’t like UNC and Duke are playing each other 12 times a year.
We can’t live by scheduling rules from when leagues had 8 to 10 teams. If you have 14+ teams, you should play more games against each other…or by default, you are not a league.
LikeLike