CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The ACC announced significant changes to its Championship Game tiebreaker procedure on Wednesday, responding to last year's chaotic five-way tie atop the standings. This announcement was made during the commissioner’s forum at the ACC Football Kickoff media days.

Jim Phillips, the ACC leader, introduced new guiding principles aimed at simplifying the tiebreaking process. These changes are crucial for ensuring that the two best teams compete in the ACC Championship Game, especially given the current College Football Playoff (CFP) qualification rules, which allow each power conference to send one automatic qualifier to the CFP field.

Previously, the tiebreaker relied on a complex "combined winning percentage of conference opponents," which detracted from assessing the quality of the competing teams. The new rules are particularly important for the ACC as it prepares for a new conference schedule in 2026, where teams will play either eight or nine conference games.

Summary of the New Tiebreaker Procedure:

• Two-Team Tie:

  1. Head-to-head results
  2. Team Success Ranking
  3. Commissioner Draw

• Three-Team (or More) Tie with Common Opponents:

  1. Best record among head-to-head results
  2. Team Success Ranking
  3. Commissioner Draw

• Three-Team (or More) Tie without Common Opponents:

  1. Tied team with wins against other tied teams moves forward
  2. Team Success Ranking
  3. Commissioner Draw

Last season, Duke reached the ACC Championship Game with a 7-5 record due to winning the five-way tie for second place. This was facilitated by an upset involving Cal and SMU in the season's final week. Despite having seven teams with nine or more wins, the old tiebreaker allowed a seven-win team to compete for the title. With these new rules, the ACC aims to enhance the competitiveness and visibility of its teams in the national title race.