Atlantic Coast Conference facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Atlantic Coast Conference

Association	NCAA
Founded	May 8, 1953; 72 years ago (1953-05-08)
Commissioner	James J. Phillips (since February 1, 2021)
Sports fielded	28 men's: 13 women's: 15
Division	Division I
Subdivision	FBS
No. of teams	18
Headquarters	Charlotte, North Carolina
Region	South South Atlantic East South Central West South Central Northeast Mid-Atlantic New England Midwest East North Central West Pacific
TV partner(s)	ESPN/ABC The CW ACC Network
Streaming partner(s)	ESPN+ ACC Network Extra
Locations

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a group of colleges and universities in the United States that compete in sports. It is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Eighteen universities are part of the ACC. They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s top division, called Division I. ACC football teams play in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The ACC supports competition in 28 different sports. Many of its member schools are known for being among the best in the country. ACC teams and athletes have won many national championships over the years. The conference also gets a lot of attention from TV and other media. Since 2014, the ACC has been one of the "Power Four" conferences in college football. These conferences have special agreements for their top teams to play in major bowl games.

The ACC started on May 8, 1953. Seven universities from the South Atlantic states were the first members. The University of Virginia joined later in 1953, making it eight schools. Over time, some schools left, and new ones joined. For example, the University of South Carolina left in 1971. Georgia Tech joined in 1979, and Florida State joined in 1991. Since 2000, ten more schools have joined, and one original member, Maryland, left. This brought the total to 18 schools. The newer schools are located in the Northeast, Midwest, and West.

Member Universities

The ACC has 18 member schools located in 12 different states. These states include California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. Most of the schools are along the U.S. Atlantic coast in the Southern and Northeastern parts of the country. However, recent changes have brought schools from California and Texas into the conference. The conference now stretches from Florida in the south to New York in the north, and from California in the west to Massachusetts in the east.

When Notre Dame joined the ACC, its football team chose to remain independent. This means they don't play a full conference schedule in football. However, they agreed to play five ACC football teams each season. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Notre Dame played a full 10-game ACC schedule and was able to compete for the ACC championship.

The ACC is special because it has many private universities. Eight of its 18 members are private schools. Other major conferences have fewer private members.

Since August 2, 2024, the 18 members of the ACC are:

Notes

Former Members

The University of South Carolina left the ACC in 1971. It later joined the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1991. On July 1, 2014, the University of Maryland left the ACC to join the Big Ten Conference.

Membership Map

Membership Timeline

Full members  Non-football members  Independent  Other Conference  Other Conference 

History of the ACC

How the ACC Started

The ACC was created on June 14, 1953. Seven schools from the Southern Conference decided to form their own league. These schools were Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest. They left because the Southern Conference had banned football teams from playing in post-season games.

After setting up rules for the new league, these seven schools officially left the Southern Conference on May 8, 1953. The new conference's rules were approved on June 14, 1953. The ACC wanted to add an eighth member. On December 4, 1953, the University of Virginia joined. Virginia had been independent since 1937.

In 1960, the ACC was the first conference to require a minimum SAT score for student-athletes. This rule was later changed.

On July 1, 1971, the University of South Carolina left the ACC.

Growing the Conference

The ACC had seven members until Georgia Tech joined on July 1, 1979. Georgia Tech's football team joined later, in 1983. This brought the total number of schools to nine when Florida State joined on July 1, 1991. Florida State's football team joined in 1992. These additions were the first time the conference expanded beyond its original area.

More Schools Join in the 2000s

The ACC added three more schools from the Big East Conference between 2004 and 2005. These schools were Miami and Virginia Tech, which joined on July 1, 2004. Boston College joined on July 1, 2005. This made the ACC a 12-member league and brought in its first school from the Northeast.

Recent Changes (2010-Present)

The ACC Hall of Champions opened on March 2, 2011. It is a special place to honor great athletes and teams from the conference.

In September 2011, Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh applied to join the ACC. They were accepted the next day. Both schools officially joined the ACC on July 1, 2013. This expanded the conference's reach even further.

On September 12, 2012, Notre Dame agreed to join the ACC for most sports, except football and men's ice hockey. Notre Dame also agreed to play five football games against ACC schools each season starting in 2014. Notre Dame officially joined on July 1, 2013.

The University of Maryland left the ACC to join the Big Ten Conference in 2014. To replace Maryland, the ACC invited the University of Louisville, which joined on July 1, 2014.

In 2013, the ACC schools signed an agreement about their media rights. This agreement helps keep schools in the conference. If a school leaves, the ACC keeps the money from that school's home games. This agreement was extended in 2016 to last until 2036. This also helped launch the ACC Network, a TV channel dedicated to ACC sports, in August 2019.

In 2021, the ACC formed an alliance with the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences. This alliance helped bring back old rivalries, like the "Backyard Brawl" between Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

On September 1, 2023, the conference voted to add three new members: California, SMU, and Stanford. SMU joined on July 1, 2024. California and Stanford joined the ACC on August 2, 2024.

Academics and the ACC

The ACC is known for having very strong academic schools among major college sports conferences. Many of its schools are highly ranked by publications like U.S. News & World Report.

Nine ACC schools are members of the Association of American Universities. This group includes top research universities. These schools are California, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Stanford, and Virginia.

ACC Academic Network

ACC Academic Consortium logo

The ACC schools work together on academic projects through the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Consortium (ACCAC). This group helps schools collaborate on research, student exchanges, and other educational programs.

The ACCAC's goal is to use the sports connections between the universities to improve their educational programs. They organize many academic activities. These include fellowship and scholarship programs, global research projects, and leadership conferences. They also support study abroad programs. The money for these programs comes from a part of the income from the ACC Football Championship Game and from grants.

Some of the main academic programs supported by the ACCAC are:

• The annual Meeting of the Minds (MOM) conference for undergraduate research.
• The annual Student Leadership Conference.
• The Creativity and Innovation Fellowship Program which gives money to students for research or creative projects.
• The Summer Research Scholars Program that helps students do research at other ACC universities.
• The ACC Debate Championship.
• The ACC Inventure Prize Competition, a competition for student teams to show off their new ideas.
• The Student Federal Relations Trip to Washington, D.C., for student delegates.
• The Distinguished Lecturers Program which honors top faculty members.
• The Executive Leadership Series for university leaders.
• The annual Student President Conference.
• The Coach for College Program for student-athletes to coach children in Vietnam.
• The Traveling Scholars Program for PhD students to use resources at other ACC campuses.
• The Clean Energy Grant Competition for universities to work together on clean energy projects.
• The Study Abroad Program which allows students to join study abroad programs at other ACC universities.

The ACCAC also helps faculty and staff from different universities meet and share ideas.

Current Champions

Football in the ACC

The ACC is one of the "Power Four" conferences in college football. This means its football champion automatically gets a spot in one of the six biggest bowl games. Seven ACC schools have won national football championships in their history. Two won the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title, and one won the College Football Playoff (CFP) title. Three ACC teams, Florida State, Miami, and Clemson, are among the top 10 most successful football programs since 2000.

Football Scheduling

In 2005, the ACC started having divisions for football. The two division winners played in the ACC Championship Game to decide the conference champion. This winner would then get a spot in a major bowl game. The first Championship Game was in 2005, where Florida State beat Virginia Tech.

In June 2022, the ACC changed its football schedule. Starting in the 2023 season, there are no more divisions. Instead, teams play a "3–5–5" format. Each team plays three specific rivals every year. They also play two groups of five teams that change every other year. This way, every team plays every other team at least once at home and once away over four years. The two teams with the best winning percentage in the conference play in the ACC Championship Game.

With California, SMU, and Stanford joining in 2024, the ACC updated its scheduling again. Now, 16 matchups are protected, meaning those teams play each other every year. All teams will play each other at least twice (home and away) in a cycle.

ACC teams also play four non-conference games each season. One of these games is against Notre Dame every two to three years. Since 2017, ACC members must play at least one non-conference game against a team from another "Power 5" conference. Games against Notre Dame count towards this rule.

Bowl Games

The Orange Bowl is a major bowl game for the ACC champion. The ACC champion plays against a team from the SEC, Big Ten, or Notre Dame. If the ACC champion is chosen for the College Football Playoff, another ACC team takes its place in the Orange Bowl.

Other bowl games pick ACC teams based on agreements between the conference and the bowls. Notre Dame can also be chosen for ACC bowl games if they meet certain requirements.

National Football Championships

The NCAA does not have an official national champion for Division I FBS football. However, several ACC schools claim national championships. These are based on different polls and systems. Since 1936, the Associated Press poll has been very important. The Coaches Poll started in 1950. From 1998 to 2013, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system picked the top two teams. The winner of the BCS was also named the Coaches' Poll national champion. Maryland won one championship as an ACC member in 1953.

• Italics mean championships won before the school joined the ACC.
• Notre Dame, which is not a football member, claims 11 national titles.

Basketball in the ACC

Basketball History

The early success of ACC basketball was largely due to two coaches: Everett Case and Frank McGuire. Case coached North Carolina State and made his teams play a fast-paced style. He was known as The Father of ACC Basketball because he was great at promoting the sport. He helped build Reynolds Coliseum, a large arena that hosted many important games.

Frank McGuire came to North Carolina in 1952. He recruited talented players from North Carolina and New York City. Case and McGuire created a strong rivalry, which made basketball even more popular in the region.

In 1957, McGuire's North Carolina team won the ACC's first national championship. This success led to the first TV network for ACC games, which helped the sport become very popular.

Many famous basketball coaches have been part of the ACC, including Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Dean Smith of North Carolina.

ACC Tournament

The ACC tournament started in 1954. It decides the ACC champion. The ACC is unique because it only recognizes the tournament winner as the conference champion, not the team that finishes first in the regular season. However, the team that finishes first in the regular season usually gets invited to the NCAA tournament anyway.

Historically, the ACC Tournament has been played in North Carolina. The four teams from Tobacco Road (North Carolina, Duke, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest) have won most of the tournament titles.

National Championships and Final Fours

ACC schools have won 15 NCAA men's basketball championships while being members of the conference. North Carolina has won six, Duke has won five, NC State has won two, and Maryland and Virginia have each won one. Other current ACC members, like Louisville and Syracuse, won national titles before joining the conference.

In women's basketball, ACC members have won three national championships while in the conference: North Carolina in 1994, Maryland in 2006, and Notre Dame in 2018. Notre Dame also won a title in 2001 before joining the ACC. In 2006, three ACC teams made it to the Final Four, with Maryland beating Duke for the championship. Stanford, a new member, won three national titles before joining the ACC.

Italics mean honors earned before the school joined the ACC.

Baseball in the ACC

Nine ACC teams were chosen to play in the 2025 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. The ACC has won the Men's College World Series twice: Virginia in 2015 and Wake Forest in 1955. Also, Miami won four titles before joining the ACC. Current ACC schools have appeared in the Men's College World Series a total of 97 times.

Field Hockey in the ACC

The ACC has won 22 of the 42 NCAA Championships in field hockey. Maryland won 8 of these titles when it was an ACC member.

Golf in the ACC

Most ACC schools have both men's and women's golf teams. Four team national championships in men's golf and seven national titles in women's golf have been won by ACC members. The Duke women's team has won seven national titles since 1999. Many other national titles were won by current ACC members before they joined the conference.

Lacrosse in the ACC

Since 1971, when the NCAA started determining a men's national champion, the ACC has won 19 NCAA championships. This is more than any other conference. Virginia has won seven NCAA Championships, North Carolina has won five, Duke has won three, and Notre Dame has won the last two. Syracuse won ten NCAA titles before joining the ACC.

In Women's lacrosse, the ACC has won more national championships than any other conference. The ACC has won 14 women's national titles since 1997. North Carolina has won four, Boston College has won two, and Virginia has won one.

Soccer in the ACC

Fifteen of the 18 ACC schools have men's soccer teams. Only Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Miami do not. Virginia has won seven NCAA titles, more than any other university since 1990. The ACC has won 19 national championships in men's soccer.

In women's soccer, North Carolina has won 22 of the 40 NCAA titles since the NCAA started crowning a champion. They also won the only AIAW soccer championship in 1981. In 2014, Florida State became the first school other than North Carolina to win the national championship as an ACC member. Notre Dame won three NCAA titles before joining the ACC. Stanford has won three women's national titles.

Tennis in the ACC

Most ACC schools have both men's and women's tennis teams. Eight national championships in men's tennis and three national titles in women's tennis have been won by ACC members. The Virginia men's team has won six national titles since 2013. Stanford has won many national titles in tennis before joining the ACC.

ACC Commissioners

Former Commissioner John Swofford

The commissioner is the main leader of the conference.

NCAA Team Championships

Stanford Cardinal has won the most NCAA titles of any program in the nation. They hold the most men's and women's NCAA titles in the ACC. The California Golden Bears and Virginia Cavaliers have the second and third most men's NCAA titles. The North Carolina Tar Heels and Virginia Cavaliers have the second and third most women's NCAA titles in the conference. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish has the most co-ed NCAA titles in the conference.

These totals do not include national titles won outside of NCAA competitions, like football titles or older championships.

Capital One Cup Standings

The Capital One Cup is an award given each year to the best men's and women's college sports programs in Division I. Points are earned based on how well teams do in NCAA Championships and coaches' polls.

Notre Dame has finished first for men's sports three times (2014, 2022, 2024). Virginia has finished first twice (2015 and 2019). North Carolina has finished first twice on the women's side (2013 and 2025).

Media Coverage

Current Media Partners

• ESPN
• ACC Network (Started in 2019)
• The CW (Started in 2023)

See also

In Spanish: Atlantic Coast Conference para niños

• ACC Athlete of the Year
• Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
• List of Atlantic Coast Conference football champions
• List of Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball regular season champions
• List of NCAA conferences
• ACC Women's Basketball regular season
• Atlantic Coast Rugby League