In order to compete with the other Power Five conferences, the ACC needs to get some more revenue from its conference games. One way to do that would be to create an additional revenue stream known as the ACC Network. A way to facilitate that would be to move to a nine-game conference schedule.
RELATED: Big 12's revenue still doesn't match the SEC's
The ACC and SEC are currently the only Power Five conferences that don't do that, but the SEC is still making more money than any other conference because of its SEC Network partnership with ESPN and superior product it puts out not only on the football field, but in other sports.
The ACC doesn't quite have those benefits and so must find another means to make some money and get ahead of the Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and Pac 12.
"Indeed, nine games are quite possible if, as expected, the ACC and ESPN agree by year's end to broaden the league's exposure through traditional (cable) and progressive (online streaming) means," Daily Press writer David Teel said.
"But if ACC schools want a channel, in whatever form that may be, and coinciding revenue bump, this is a change they would be wise to make," Teel said.
The ACC actually agreed to a nine-game conference schedule back in 2012, but Notre Dame becoming a pseudo member of the conference derailed those plans and they were quickly abandoned.
RELATED: The Big 12 is finally getting a championship game!
With the Big 12 getting a championship game in 2017 (it's really about time), all five of the power conferences will have a title game and the Big Ten is moving to a nine-game conference schedule this season too.
Nine games might hamstring a few schools like Georgia Tech, Clemson and Florida State as they all have one guaranteed marquee matchup out of conference —- Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, respectively —- and would make it much more difficult to find another opponent when they need to play someone out of conference.
[polldaddy poll=9441423]
[h/t The Daily Press]
