ACC Media Day: Commissioner Chats New Title Game Tiebreakers, Backs 24-Team Playoff
ACC Media Days are underway in Charlotte, with Cal set to talk with the media on Day 3 this Friday.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips opened the league’s 2026 Football Kickoff by declaring the conference is entering the new academic year “from a position of tremendous strength,” pointing to a stretch of success both on the field and in the ratings that he says has positioned the ACC as a national leader during a pivotal moment for college sports. Phillips, marking his fifth year as commissioner, noted 14 different ACC schools won conference championships this past year, seven programs captured national titles (including Cal), and eight more finished as national runners-up, including Miami’s run to the national championship game.
The ACC produced at least 11 bowl-eligible teams for a third straight year, set conference records with seven teams winning nine or more games and nine teams reaching eight wins, and posted seven postseason wins over fellow Power Four opponents, more than any other league. He tied that success directly to a surge in viewership, noting regular-season ACC football audiences grew 68% year over year, the largest increase among Power Four conferences, while Miami’s championship game appearance drew more than 30 million viewers, the most-watched CFP game of the decade. Phillips credited the growth to scheduling strength. The ACC will again play the nation’s toughest non-conference slate, with 25 games against Power Four opponents (Cal playing UCLA is one example), combined with new revenue-distribution incentives that reward schools financially for drawing bigger audiences.
Phillips also detailed a new tiebreaking system for the ACC Championship Game, given not every team can play nine conference games, since there are 17 schools. The policy rests on three principles: head-to-head results matter most; no team is penalized or rewarded based on how many conference games it played, relevant as the league transitions to nine-game conference schedules for 12 schools and eight for five others; and when head-to-head can’t settle a tie, the team with the strongest overall body of work — incorporating an analytics ranking also used by the CFP — earns the championship spot. Phillips said the approach was designed to ensure the game features the two most deserving teams, particularly now that Power Four conference champions receive an automatic CFP bid.
On the future of the Playoff, Phillips reiterated his support for expanding the College Football Playoff field, saying he believes 24 teams is the right number. He said ACC coaches and athletic directors were unanimous in that view heading into the summer. The format will remain at 12 teams for the coming season, but Phillips noted any change for the 2027 CFP National Championship would need to be finalized by December 1, and must be collaborative among the college football commissioners.
On tampering in college football, a subject that has drawn attention amid the Clemson-Ole Miss situation re: former Cal transfer Luke Ferrelli, Phillips called it a serious issue nationally and within the league. He said that accountability depends on people coming forward with specific information about violations. Phillips pointed to legal challenges and rules ambiguity as factors letting programs “play in the margins,” and said a broader lack of restraint across college sports has to change.
On the proposed Save College Sports Act, Phillips pushed back on the notion that it would cap athlete earnings, saying the ACC has been among its strongest supporters. The legislation’s aims are greater transparency around NIL deals, agent registration to protect athletes from exploitation, and formal recognition of the value of scholarships, housing, meals, and other benefits athletes receive. Phillips acknowledged commissioners themselves disagree on some provisions, but framed the bill as a chance to stabilize college athletics’ future while safeguarding athlete compensation.
Phillips discussed the new five-year eligibility rule, calling it “common sense” and fair to student-athletes while protecting access for incoming high schoolers. Under the model, athletes would have until age 24 to complete four seasons of competition, with exceptions for circumstances like religious missions, pregnancy or military service. He said the rule needs to be codified either through legislation or league policy to withstand legal challenges, acknowledging he personally ruled against an ACC athlete’s eligibility extension request this spring despite his discomfort in doing so, because he felt an additional year wasn’t warranted.
Cal’s time at ACC Media Day will come this Friday.