CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jim Phillips took the stage to open the ACC Kickoff event at a tumultuous time for the league and college athletics.
Phillips discussed the state of the ACC, pending legislation in Washington, the league’s revenues, the importance of playing Friday night games and the College Football Playoff over nearly an hour on Wednesday morning. His remarks were often confident, even as the ACC jockeys for position behind the SEC and Big Ten and often alongside the Big 12 as not just the Power 4 conferences but also those lobbying in Congress for what the commissioners feel is necessary change in college athletics.
“Our conference is thriving athletically,” Phillips said. “We’re thriving academically. We’re thriving financially and we are leading nationally during one of the most consequential periods in the history of college sports.”
Below are some thoughts from what Phillips said in his speech as well as the Q&A with media:
Friday games are critical
Phillips has often boasted about the strong non-conference schedules ACC teams play each fall. Every ACC school will play 10 games vs. Power 4 opponents, with many of the league’s schools now shifting to a nine-game ACC schedule (FSU is at eight for 2026, but will shift to nine in 2027).
Including Notre Dame, ACC schools will play 25 games vs. Power 4 teams. FSU will play Alabama and Florida in 2026, which is two of the nine games vs. SEC opponents that ACC programs will play this fall.
ACC schools will play 15 games on Friday night. FSU plays three: at Louisville on Oct. 9, at Pittsburgh on Nov. 13 and Florida at home on Black Friday on Nov. 27. Phillips says it’s a necessity, although he admits the coaches often don’t love the Friday games.
“There’s so much compression on Saturday,” Phillips said of the networks and programming college football games. “Everybody can’t play on Saturday anymore.”
The ACC is also spacing out its games again on Labor Day weekend, playing five consecutive days (Thursday - Monday) in what culminates with SMU at FSU.
Legislation in Washington
While a number of SEC schools have come out against the Protect College Sports Act, Phillips said he remains optimistic that legislation in some form will pass.
"I remain hopeful and I remain confident that we can get something done because if we don’t that’s all on us," Phillips said. "That’s our fault. It just is because we’re supposed to be the stewards of this thing called college sports."
Phillips said he feels administrators across the schools and confidence are in "lockstep" on the majority of the 100-plus-page bill that has been sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).
ACC announces tiebreaker
The ACC announced a new football championship tiebreaker policy that will take effect beginning this season, reflecting the league's transition to a nine-game conference schedule and determining participants in the ACC championship game.
The updated tiebreaking procedure is built on three guiding principles:
Head-to-head results will always matter most.
No team will be overly rewarded or penalized based on the number of conference games it played.
When head-to-head competition cannot separate tied teams, the team with the strongest overall body of work will earn the opportunity to compete for the ACC Championship and the conference's automatic qualifier to the College Football Playoff.
The updated championship tiebreaker policy was developed to reward head-to-head results, account for the league's teams playing an alternate number of conference games, while also identifying the two most deserving teams to compete for the ACC Football Championship and the conference's automatic berth into the College Football Playoff.
CFP discussion: 16 or 24 teams?
Phillips stated his desire for a 24-team playoff as the ACC wrapped up its spring meetings in mid-May. The CFP will remain at 12 teams for the short term, but it's clear the discussions revolve around two things for the long term: Money and access.
"It is about greater access if you are to have a true national championship," Phillips said.
The regular season calendar would have to be altered, Phillips said. College football teams are already pushing the schedule forward, with Week Zero games to be the norm for many FBS teams in 2027.
FSU plays New Mexico State in Week Zero in 2026.
ACC partners with Reliaquest
ReliaQuest, the global leader in agentic AI cybersecurity, announced a multi-year partnership as the Official Cybersecurity Sponsor of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as part of a new agreement with the ACC and Disney Advertising.
FSU graduate and Board of Trustees member Brian Murphy is the CEO of Reliaquest.
The partnership will combine year-round media and activation across ACC sports with conference-supported programming focused on cybersecurity awareness, career exploration, and storytelling around elite defensive performance.
Thanks for reading the Osceola. Subscribe now for 40 percent off to enjoy a full year of coverage of FSU athletics. You’ll also earn a $15 gift card at the Osceola’s merch store.
