CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd reported Tuesday restrictions for conference championship games likely will be relaxed by 2016, and that could affect the 14-team ACC.
“I think there's some belief that ACC would play three divisions, have two highest-ranked play in postseason,” NCAA Football Oversight Committee chairman Bob Bowlsby told Dodd. “Really, nobody cares how you determine your champion. It should be a conference-level decision."
MORE: Dabo, Deshaun and a potential ACC champion | Jimbo Fisher on NFL: 'Never say never'
There’s no imminent plan for that to happen, but it’s OK to take a look. How would three divisions break down? We took a crack:
SEC DIVISION
Florida State
Miami
Georgia Tech
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Plus: Florida State-Miami are in the same division and that game has more bearing on the ACC championship picture than the current format.
Minus: It's not geographically sound.
CAROLINA DIVISION
Clemson
North Carolina State
North Carolina
Duke
Wake Forest
Plus: This puts all the North Carolina schools in one division and adds South Carolina to the mix with Clemson.
Minus: This would be much better for the basketball rivalries on Tobacco Road.
BIG EAST DIVISION
*Notre Dame
Boston College
Louisville
Pittsburgh
Syracuse
Plus: We get a throwback to the Big East, and the geography is sound.
Minus: Notre Dame isn't a full ACC-football member (yet), so this division really has just four teams.
