ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced Thursday that the ACC will move next year to an 18-game league schedule from the current 16-game slate.
“Our member institutions have been talking about this increase for awhile and knowing our league will be expanding to 14 in the future, we’ve decided to move to an 18-game conference schedule next year, regardless of our membership number,” Swofford said in a statement.
“The additional conference games create a more equitable schedule and we’ve received significant feedback from our fans for more conference games.”
Syracuse and Pittsburgh will move to the ACC either in 2013 or 2014, depending on whom you believe.
Many observers expect it to happen in 2013, when the Big East will officially add Houston, SMU and Central Florida in all sports, and Boise State and San Diego State for football. Navy is also prepared to join the Big East down the road, Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com reported Thursday.
Big East Commissioner John Marinatto says he will hold all departing schools — including West Virginia — to the mandated 27-month exit fee, meaning they couldn’t leave until June 2014.
The 18-game schedule will reduce the number of non-conference games ACC teams can play by two, which could, in turn, impact events like the annual North Carolina-Kentucky game.
