Conference
ACC
A conference stretched along the Atlantic coast and beyond it, where the football title race is rarely settled early.
Members
ACC programs
ACC · Clemson, South Carolina · 7-6 in 2025
ACC · Tallahassee, Florida · 5-7 in 2025
ACC · Miami, Florida · 13-3 in 2025
ACC · Chapel Hill, North Carolina · 4-8 in 2025
ACC · Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts · 2-10 in 2025
ACC · Berkeley, California · 7-6 in 2025
ACC · Durham, North Carolina · 9-5 in 2025
ACC · Atlanta, Georgia · 9-4 in 2025
ACC · Syracuse, New York · 3-9 in 2025
ACC · Charlottesville, Virginia · 11-3 in 2025
ACC · Blacksburg, Virginia · 3-9 in 2025
ACC · Winston-Salem, North Carolina · 9-4 in 2025
ACC · Louisville, Kentucky · 9-4 in 2025
ACC · Raleigh, North Carolina · 8-5 in 2025
ACC · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · 8-5 in 2025
ACC · Dallas, Texas · 9-4 in 2025
ACC · Stanford, California · 4-8 in 2025
ACC
A league in transition
The ACC has absorbed more change than most conferences in recent years, adding programs well outside its original footprint. That has widened the league geographically while leaving the football hierarchy less settled than in the SEC or Big Ten.
Clemson has been the conference's most consistent football program in the modern era, with Miami and Florida State carrying histories that predate the current structure.
ACC
Football in a basketball conference
The ACC's identity has historically been tied to basketball as much as football, which shapes how its programs are resourced and covered. Several member schools are basketball-first institutions where football competes for attention.
That makes the football title race genuinely open in most years, since fewer programs are operating at a consistent national level than in the deeper conferences.
FAQ
ACC questions
Which teams are in the ACC?
Programs covered here include Clemson, Miami, Florida State and North Carolina, alongside the conference's other members.
How is the ACC champion decided?
Conference standings determine which teams meet in the ACC Championship Game, played in early December.
Is the ACC a football or basketball conference?
It has strong traditions in both, though its identity has historically been tied more closely to basketball. Several members are basketball-first schools, which shapes how football is resourced.
Which ACC team has been strongest in football recently?
Clemson has been the conference's most consistent football program in the modern era, with Miami and Florida State carrying deep histories of their own.