Notre Dame, Clemson Sign 12-Year Deal That Could Lead To Change In ACC Football

Notre Dame and Clemson have agreed to a monumental scheduling deal that could have major implications on how the ACC moves forward with scheduling games in the future that will not only help with revenue, but provide fans with more marquee matchups down the road in this new era of college football.

The two schools have agreed to a 12-year scheduling agreement that will see the two schools play annually through 2038, which was first reported by David Hale. 

We are currently seeing conversations taking place across the country about how bigger brands in college athletics can meet on the field, which would increase television ratings, along with providing additional revenue for some of the marquee schools that are looking to cash-in when it comes to hosting on-campus games in the future. 

ACC Agreement With Florida State, Clemson Provides New Revenue Model, Exit Fee Reduction

Even though there have been a number of games played between Notre Dame and Clemson in recent memory, the latest being in 2023, which Clemson won 31-23, there is a need for more marquee matchups within the ACC. From a television ratings standpoint, if the ACC is going to add additional revenue based upon their recent court proceedings with both Florida State and Clemson, this is the most logical route to take when trying to garner national attention. 

While Notre Dame is part of the ACC football schedule, with five games per season against other conference foes, they do not play Clemson annually, which the ACC saw as a disadvantage when trying to set up ‘marquee’ matchups within the conference. Under the new agreement, the annual game with Clemson will count towards Notre Dame’s required five games versus conference foes. 

This means that Notre Dame will only have three games left on their ACC schedule to fill, given that they play Stanford every season. So, this presented the opportunity for the Fighting Irish to have a permanent game against a team that will certainly draw eyes, along with creating additional revenue for both schools. 

Are We About To See More ACC Matchups Between The Bigger Brands?

One of the most interesting talking points about this scheduling agreement is how the ACC can start pitting bigger-name teams against each other on an annual basis. When you have schools like Florida State, Miami, Clemson and Notre Dame, it’s certainly more lucrative for the conference if you had these teams playing each other on a yearly basis, compared to division play, which spaces out the potential matchups yearly. 

Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich told ESPN’s David Hale that it’s time for these bigger brands to play each other on a more consistent basis. 

“The brands need to play each other more. That’s what has to happen,” Radakovich told ESPN. “Do we divide into two divisions? Who gets to play Notre Dame? How are doing those kinds of things? And if the SEC goes to nine (conference games) we might have to go to nine as well with the bifurcated brands and non-brands.”

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – AUGUST 31: Xavier Restrepo #7 of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

What he’s implying is that when the SEC decides it’s time to start playing nine conference games, which they will eventually, the ACC will need to focus on creating bigger matchups to compensate for the lack of marquee games within the conference. 

Even though it could hurt brands like Cal, Wake Forest, Boston College, Pitt or even Virginia, the ACC has to focus on bringing in more eyeballs to the schools that create television ratings. This means pitting Miami against Clemson or Florida State versus Clemson on a more consistent basis. 

Now that the ACC is trying to find further ways to increase revenue distribution for its top brands, putting together these types of matchups on a yearly basis is the logical next step. 

It’s all about money, if you haven’t figured that out yet. But, this also provides the fans with a yearly game that is worth the price of admission, with ticket prices only rising in college football.