The Atlantic Coast Conference has approved a plan to add a ninth conference game for football, a move that aligns it with the rest of the Power 4 and seeks to elevate its status for College Football Playoff slots.

The schedule shift, beginning in 2026, also requires that each ACC member play a 10th game against another Power 4 opponent each year. The ACC described the vote in favor of the shift as “overwhelming,” particularly as strength-of-schedule considerations continue to grow in importance in securing CFP berths. 

“[This] decision showcases the commitment and leadership of our ADs in balancing what is best for strengthening the conference and their respective programs,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement. 

The SEC similarly adopted a ninth conference game last month, with that move also taking effect next year, heightening expectations that the ACC would soon follow suit. The Big Ten and Big 12 already play nine conference games in football. 

With the ACC currently having 17 members, the math around the odd number and creating the additional in-conference scheduling requirement is more complex than in other conferences, and Phillips has said some traditional rivalries between SEC and ACC schools could be at risk, as are some individual scheduling agreements with Notre Dame. 

The Fighting Irish compete in the ACC in most other sports and currently play a handful of football games each year against ACC foes. However, they have steadfastly remained independent in football and are in the Big Ten for men’s ice hockey. 

Because of all of this, Phillips added that with the vote, “there will be additional discussions and more details to be determined” regarding the football scheduling. 

Before the schedule shift comes into play, the ACC is struggling so far this season against non-conference Power 4 schools and Notre Dame. The conference is just 5–12 on the year in such matchups, much worse than the SEC’s comparable 10–3 record, the Big 12’s 8–6, and the Big Ten’s 5–6.

With all of the Power 4 in alignment on the expanded in-conference scheduling, discussion around an expanded CFP format is expected to revive. Disagreement there continues, however, particularly around how automatic berths would be allocated.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The U.S. Ryder Cup team is excited to play in front of President Donald Trump on Friday, as the commander-in-chief’s plans to attend the opening round at Bethpage Black Golf Course crystallize.

“I’m deeply honored that the president of the United States is going to come support our team at the Ryder Cup,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said Tuesday, pushing back on concerns about Trump’s attendance being a distraction.

Trump is reportedly planning on arriving at the Ryder Cup in the late morning on Friday, and watch the afternoon sessions begin on the first tee, according to The Telegraph, in an effort to prevent security delays for fans (like his presence caused at the US Open) before the opening sessions tee off at 7:10 a.m. ET. 

“We actually won’t be able to delay the tee times because we don’t have the evening,” Ryder Cup director Bryan Karns told Front Office Sports last week. “At Arthur Ashe Stadium, you can flip those lights on, you can go late. Whereas we don’t have that luxury of doing that.”

Presidential Treatment

Bradley said he doesn’t have any plans for Trump to speak with the U.S. team before the Ryder Cup begins, but added, “Having the president there to support you is something that is just absolutely incredible. I’m really grateful to him for doing that for us.”

Patrick Cantlay said Trump’s attendance “should be great,” and Scottie Scheffler signed off on Trump’s visit, too. “To have the president here, it’s been a tough few weeks for our country with some of the stuff that’s been going on, and to have our president here and for us to represent the United States of America, albeit being in a golf tournament, is extremely important for us,” Scheffler said. “And we’re excited to be on home soil with the home crowd, and we’re ready to get this tournament started.”

Even Europe’s captain, Luke Donald, is aware of the gravity of the situation. “Anytime a sitting president wants to come to an event, it just shows how big the Ryder Cup is,” Donald said. “You’ve got to see that as a mark of respect. President Trump is obviously a big supporter of golf, and he knows a lot of the players this week and has met them before. I think you see it as that, as a mark of respect, that a sitting president wants to support an event when he has a very busy schedule. To find time for that shows something.”

As the Rays prepare to begin a new era, a key element from the team’s past is nearing a return.

Repairs to the hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field remain on schedule, and St. Petersburg, Fla., officials say the ballpark is expected to be ready for the Rays’ 2026 season, as planned.

City development administrator James Corbett told the city council in a memo that the restoration work at the publicly owned ballpark is still on track, most notably with the installation of new roof panels now underway. The ballpark was heavily damaged, including a complete shredding of its roof, nearly a year ago in Hurricane Milton.

MLB’s 2026 schedule, released late last month, specifically contemplates the Rays’ returning to Tropicana Field, their home since the franchise began as an expansion team in 1998. That slate, however, does include a nine-game road trip to begin the season to provide a bit of extra time to complete the restoration work. 

Since the hurricane, the Rays have played home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the Yankees. With the reduced capacity and outdoor setting there, the Rays’ attendance fell 41% this year to an average of 9,713 per game, second worst in the league and ahead of only the A’s. 

The progress at Tropicana Field is happening as Florida developer Patrick Zalupski and his partners received Major League Baseball approval on Monday for their $1.7 billion purchase of the club. The deal is expected to close later this week, and Zalupski will soon restart efforts to develop a new Rays ballpark.

“Everyone knows what we, and fans generally, think about the Trop as a long-term solution. It’s a great solution for 2026 compared to playing in a minor league ballpark, with no roof and in the Tampa climate,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said last week at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit. 

The Tropicana Field repairs, originally estimated to cost $55.7 million, have since risen above $60 million. The expenses are the responsibility of the city, which owns the ballpark, and it is working with insurance representatives and the Federal Emergency Management Agency on reimbursement for some of that. As of July, St. Petersburg had received $7.6 million in advance payments from insurance.