For a while now, the common format for conferences in college football has been the two-division model. At the end of the season, the conference championship game pits the two division winners against one another for top honors.

In recent years, the Big 12 has been the lone Power 5 conference to employ a conference championship game without divisions. However, the Big 12 may have company with that format in the years to come.

In a Tuesday story from Brett McMurphy with the Action Network, McMurphy reported that the ACC is joining the list of conferences looking to eliminate divisions. If finalized, the ACC would play without divisions starting in 2023.

Florida State AD Michael Alford admitted the potential for a rematch in the conference championship game is a consideration, but it is not a complete deal-breaker for many:

“You know, there are pros and cons — you could have a rematch — and we understand that,” said Alford. “But at the end of the day, if you have two of the marquee teams — whoever that is — having great years, playing for a championship game, that’s going to help our brand across the country and on television.”

McMurphy also cited one ACC source that said programs in the Coastal Division want to keep the divisional format while programs from the Atlantic Division favor removing the divisions. The reason for that is Clemson’s domination of the Atlantic division while all 7 teams in the Coastal have won the division once since 2013.

It will be interesting to see how the ACC looks when the 2023 season rolls around.