What did we learn from the ACC Commissioner's forum?

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips speaking to the press.

When ACC commissioner, Jim Phillips, speaks to local and national media in Charlotte you know it's time to kick off the upcoming football season. Last season was what many would say was a mixed bag for the conference. While the ACC sent 13 teams to bowl season, they only went 2-11 in those games. Both Clemson and SMU suffered defeats in their opening round games of the College Football Playoff. The most notable headline from the off season is that the league has settled their lawsuits from Florida State and Clemson and has a new revenue sharing model. So what can we expect from the ACC moving forward.

A new revenue sharing model:

Teams now will be rewarded by performance and viewership. This was one of the key factors in the lawsuit and for now, it seems like things are resolved. The league has reported an increase in overall revenue. ESPN opted to extend it's partnership with the ACC through the 2035-2036 season as well. This performance based model will take effect in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball.

Challenging non-conference schedule:

Jim Phillips boasted the league has the toughest non-conference schedule in the country and you can look at week one to see that he is probably right. In just week one alone Clemson will host LSU, Florida State host Alabama, and Miami host Notre Dame. Also North Carolina will face TCU, Virginia Tech will challenge South Carolina, and Georgia Tech will travel to Colorado.

18 game basketball schedule:

It wouldn't be the ACC without hoops talk and one of the main points from the commissioner was going from a 20 game conference slate to 18. Commissioner Phillips believes this will give the ACC more opportunities to showcase the league in the non-conference and return the league back to the top of college basketball after the SEC's dominance. The ACC is also considering going to a 9 game conference schedule in football but is weighing how it will affect the league.

Fines for field/court stormings:

The ACC will implement new policies to be reviewed by a third party about safety measures. One of the key factors in this decision was the Kyle Filipowski incident at Wake Forest in 2024. Depending on the level of offense teams will be fined $50,000, $100,000, or as much as $200,000.