ACC ADs yesterday voted to "retain their current football scheduling model of eight league games and at least one Power Five non-conference game per season," according to David Teel of the Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS. The ADs for more than three months have "intensely debated two options presented by ESPN, both crafted to create more quality programming for the ACC Network," expected to launch in '19. ESPN wanted "eight league games and two Power Five non-conference dates (8+2), or nine league games and one outside Power Five contest (9+1)." However, during a conference call on Tuesday the ADs learned from ACC Commissioner John Swofford that while ESPN "prefers one of those formats, it would settle for 8+1." As recently as Monday, "momentum for 9+1 was building." The chance to "dodge 8+2's scheduling hassles, plus the opportunity to play league rivals in the opposite division once every three years instead of once every six, was appealing." But Swofford "changed everything Tuesday" (Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS, 10/6).
LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE? In Raleigh, Andrew Carter notes in "keeping the status quo, the league's athletic directors also decided against a rule that would have required each school to play at least two non-conference games against Power 5 opponents." Swofford said that proposal "proved difficult to put into practice given the finite number of Power 5 teams that would have been available to be scheduled." Schools in the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 "play a nine-game conference schedule that limits their non-conference openings." It is "unclear when, or if, the ACC might revisit the eight vs. nine debate." But North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham said the issue had been resolved "for the foreseeable future." Carter notes had the ACC decided to "adopt one of the two proposals ... it would have received more money from ESPN when the ACC Network launches" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 10/6). ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy cited sources as saying that the decision will "cost each school about $500,000 in television revenue" (ESPN.com, 10/5).
