When the ACC decided on a new path for teams to meet in the league’s championship game back in 2023, it never envisioned a scenario where three teams could finish a conference season undefeated.

However, here we are.

We are halfway through the ACC season, and right now four teams are still undefeated in league play, though that will definitely change this coming Saturday when No. 18 Pitt (7-0, 3-0 ACC) visits No. 20 SMU (7-1, 4-0 ACC).

Currently, No. 11 Clemson leads the ACC with a 5-0 conference mark, followed by No. 5 Miami (4-0), SMU and Pitt.

The Panthers can wreck this party, however. Besides playing the Mustangs this coming Saturday in Dallas, Pitt hosts the Tigers on Nov. 16. If the Panthers win both games, then Pitt, and likely Miami, has a high probability of playing in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 7 in Charlotte.

As it stands right now, Clemson and Miami would be in the ACC Championship Game based on ACC tiebreakers if the Tigers, Hurricanes and Mustangs all finished the season undefeated in league play.

Why?

Combined ACC opponents’ win percentage (conference games only).

That’s right. This year’s ACC Championship Game could be based on a technicality.

That is so the ACC, right?

The league never gets the credit it deserves when it has a good football product and is criticized harshly compared to other leagues (cough, cough, SEC) when it is having a down year.

I can see the national media having a field day with this, instead of praising the league for having three teams undefeated in conference play and playing well. For instance, I heard one television host call it the wacky ACC the other night.

What is so wacky about the ACC compared to other leagues? Everyone in the SEC right now, with the exception of Texas A&M, has at least one league loss. Doesn’t that make the SEC wacky, too.

Again, just a narrative some will probably play out if indeed Clemson, Miami and SMU go 8-0 in league play.

At the moment, though, Clemson is first thanks to its ACC opponents’ combined win percentage within the ACC of 46.1. Miami is second (42.1) and SMU is third (35.1). However, the Mustangs have the easiest path to go undefeated of the three teams.

After hosting Pitt, SMU will get a bye week on Nov. 9 before hosting Boston College (4-4, 1-3 ACC) on Nov. 16. Coincidentally, Clemson could clinch a berth in the ACC Championship Game at Pitt on that same day if it knocks off Louisville (5-3, 3-2 ACC) this coming Saturday and Virginia Tech (5-3, 3-1 ACC) on Nov. 9.

The Mustangs close the regular season by going to Virginia (4-4, 2-2 ACC) on Nov. 23 and hosting Cal (4-4, 0-4 ACC) on Nov. 30.

Miami’s road is a little more difficult. The ‘Canes host Duke (6-2, 2-2), who is coming off a devasting overtime loss to SMU, this coming week. They follow up with a road game at Georgia Tech (5-4, 3-3 ACC) on Nov. 9, then get a week off before hosting Wake Forest (4-4, 2-2 ACC) on Nov. 23 and finishing the regular season at Syracuse (5-2, 2-2 ACC) on Nov. 30.

Clemson, who is already 5-0 in conference play, has the hardest path of the three. As mentioned, the Tigers host Louisville before visiting Virginia Tech and Pitt in back-to-back weeks to close out the ACC part of their schedule.

The Tigers close the season with home dates against The Citadel (Nov. 23) and rival South Carolina (Nov. 30), both non-conference games.

ACC’s Tiebreaker Policy

Source: theacc.com

The Atlantic Coast Conference Football Champion will be decided by a game between the top two (2) post-season eligible teams. The two teams with the highest percentage of wins during all regular-season Conference competition shall play in the Championship Game.

If three (3) or more such teams are tied with the highest percentage of wins or two (2) or more teams are tied with the second highest percentage of wins, the following tiebreaker procedure shall be administered to determine the representative(s) in the Championship Game.

The team with the highest win percentage, either outright or after application of the tiebreaker, shall be declared the number one seed for the Championship Game.

1. Two-Team Tie
2. Head-to-head competition between the two tied teams.
3. Win-percentage versus all common opponents.
4. Win-percentage versus common opponents based upon their order of finish (overall conference win-percentage, with ties broken) and proceeding through other common opponents based upon their order of finish.
5. Combined win-percentage of conference opponents.
6. The tied team with the higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric provided by SportSource Analytics following the conclusion of regular season games.
7. The representative shall be chosen by a draw as administered by the Commissioner or Commissioner’s designee.
8. Three (or More) Team Tie

Three team (or more) tiebreaker procedure will first be used to identify one Championship Game representative. Once that team is determined, the tiebreaker procedures restart for the remaining tied teams.

1. Combined head-to-head win-percentage among the tied teams if all tied teams are common opponents.
2. If all the tied teams are not common opponents, the tied team that defeated each of the other tied teams.
3. If all the tied teams are not common opponents, no tied team defeated each of the other tied teams, but a tied team lost to each of the other tied teams, such team shall be eliminated and removed from the tie.
4. Win-percentage versus all common opponents.
5. Win-percentage versus common opponents based upon their order of finish (overall conference win-percentage, with ties broken) and proceeding through other common opponents based upon their order of finish.
6. Combined win-percentage of conference opponents (only conference games are used in tiebreaker procedures).
7. The tied team with the highest ranking by the Team Rating Score metric provided by SportSource Analytics following the conclusion of regular season games.
8. The representative shall be chosen by a draw as administered by the Commissioner or Commissioner’s designee.

Note: Conference games against otherwise post-season ineligible teams will always be counted in the league standings and in application of the tie-breaker policies.