On Tuesday, the ACC made an interesting scheduling decision that helps the conference with its College Football Playoff hopes.

The top three teams in the conference (Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami) will now only have nine games that count toward going to the ACC Championship, not the 10 that was originally scheduled. The official announcement comes from the ACC’s official website:

“Following a recommendation from the conference Athletic Director football subcommittee, the league’s Athletic Directors have voted to preserve the integrity of the ACC Football Championship Game by evaluating each of the three teams in contention (Clemson, Miami and Notre Dame) based on a nine-game conference schedule. As a result, Clemson and Notre Dame will conclude the regular season this weekend.”

Clemson will finish off their regular season against Virginia Tech while Notre Dame will finish against Syracuse. The decision by the ACC allows the conference to “bubble” the contending teams to try and avoid a COVID-19 outbreak the week prior to the ACC Championship Game.

Sports Betting in Big Ten Country

Ohio sports betting apps are officially launching on January 1, 2023.

Pre-registration is now available at FanDuel Ohio for an extra $100 bonus. Go pre-register now.

21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

However, it should also be noted that the move allows the trio of contenders to avoid a potentially disastrous upset on Dec. 12, the week prior to the title game. A win by Clemson over VT will put the Tigers in a rematch of Notre Dame while a loss would open the door for Miami.

This move could also perhaps have the Big Ten looking at Ohio State and the current situation of the Buckeyes.

There’s the six-game threshold that the Buckeyes need in order to clinch their spot in the Big Ten Championship game. They had their game against Illinois this past weekend canceled and if this weekend’s game against Michigan State is canceled, they would be below the threshold.

If Ohio State falls below the threshold, it would be then up to the conference to decide if it will uphold that six-game limit or make an exception due to the current high ranking of the Buckeyes. If anything else, the decision of the ACC illustrates that other conferences are more than willing to make decisions in the best interest of their contenders.

This will be a very fascinating situation to watch as the season comes to a close.