ACC

17 current members, three former. Our membership records under this name start in 1953; its titles go back further. 2025 champion: Duke.

1979 standings

TeamConf.OverallAPEloLast 5
NC State5–⁠17–⁠41607LWLLW
Clemson4–⁠28–⁠41661WWWLL
Maryland4–⁠27–⁠41622LWWWW
Wake Forest3–⁠28–⁠41462WLWLL
North Carolina3–⁠38–⁠3–⁠1151628LLWWW
Virginia1–⁠46–⁠51470LWWLL
Duke0–⁠62–⁠8–⁠11358LLLLL

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied. AP: the AP poll, final (else the final AP rank). Elo is our own rating, a measure of strength, not a prediction.

Against other conferences, 1979

ACC teams are 26–⁠12–⁠2 outside the conference.

The bar is the share of those games won. Games against teams from lower divisions count together.

All-ACC teams, 1979

First team 24

Offense
PositionPlayerSchool
Split endsWayne BaumgardnerWake ForestWake Forest
TackleSteve JunkmannNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina
Larry StewartMarylandMaryland
GuardJeff BosticClemsonClemson
Chris DieterichNC StateNC State
CenterJim RitcherNC StateNC State
Tight endMike ChathamNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina
QuarterbackJay VenutoWake ForestWake Forest
Running backJames McDougaldWake ForestWake Forest
Charles WysockiMarylandMaryland
Tommy VigoritoVirginiaVirginia
Defense
PositionPlayerSchool
Defensive linemanJim StuckeyClemsonClemson
James “Quick” ParkerWake ForestWake Forest
Steve DurhamClemsonClemson
Simon GuptonNC StateNC State
Steve PotterVirginiaVirginia
LinebackerBuddy CurryNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina
Bubba BrownClemsonClemson
Defensive backWoodrow WilsonNC StateNC State
Ricky BardenNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina
Rex VarnClemsonClemson
Tony BlountVirginiaVirginia
Specialists
PositionPlayerSchool
KickerDale CastroMarylandMaryland
PunterDavid SimsClemsonClemson

From Wikipedia’s 1979 all-conference team article (CC BY-SA): each player on the best team any selector named him to (the coaches’, the media’s or the AP’s), in the article’s order. Players link to their pages where we could match them.

Champions

Most titles

Clemson22last 2024
Florida State16last 2023
Maryland9last 2001
Duke8last 2025
NC State7last 1979
Troy6last 1969
North Carolina5last 1980
Jacksonville State5last 1966
Virginia Tech4last 2010
Georgia Tech3last 2009

By year

2025Duke
2024Clemson
2023Florida State
2022Clemson
2021Pittsburgh
2020Clemson
2019Clemson
2018Clemson
2017Clemson
2016Clemson
2015Clemson
2014Florida State
64 earlier seasons, back to 1939
2013Florida State
2012Florida State
2011Clemson
2010Virginia Tech
2009Georgia Tech
2008Virginia Tech
2007Virginia Tech
2006Wake Forest
2005Florida State
2004Virginia Tech
2003Florida State
2002Florida State
2001Maryland
2000Florida State
1999Florida State
1998Florida State, Georgia Tech (shared)
1997Florida State
1996Florida State
1995Florida State, Virginia (shared)
1994Florida State
1993Florida State
1992Florida State
1991Clemson
1990Georgia Tech
1989Duke, Virginia (shared)
1988Clemson
1987Clemson
1986Clemson
1985Maryland
1984Maryland
1983Maryland
1982Clemson
1981Clemson
1980North Carolina
1979NC State
1978Clemson
1977North Carolina
1976Maryland
1975Maryland
1974Maryland
1973NC State
1972North Carolina
1971North Carolina
1970Wake Forest
1969South Carolina, Troy (shared)
1968NC State, Troy (shared)
1967Clemson, Troy (shared)
1966Clemson, Jacksonville State (shared)
1965Clemson, Jacksonville State, NC State (shared)
1964Jacksonville State, NC State (shared)
1963Jacksonville State, NC State, North Carolina (shared)
1962Duke, Jacksonville State (shared)
1961Duke
1960Duke
1959Clemson
1958Clemson
1957NC State
1956Clemson
1955Duke, Maryland (shared)
1954Duke
1953Duke, Maryland (shared)
1942Troy
1941Troy
1939Troy

Conference titles as each program’s Wikipedia infobox lists them (CC BY-SA), shared titles counted for every co-champion; the conference’s earlier names count as the same conference.

Members

  1. Clemson1953 on
  2. Duke1953 on
  3. Maryland1953–⁠2013
  4. NC State1953 on
  5. North Carolina1953 on
  6. South Carolina1953–⁠1970
  7. Wake Forest1953 on
  8. Virginia1954 on
  9. Georgia Tech1983 on
  10. Florida State1992 on
  11. Miami2004 on
  12. Virginia Tech2004 on
  13. Boston College2005 on
  14. Pittsburgh2013 on
  15. Syracuse2013 on
  16. Louisville2014 on
  17. Notre Dame2020
  18. California2024 on
  19. SMU2024 on
  20. Stanford2024 on
Every school and its years (20)

Members now

Former members

Football membership as CollegeFootballData.com records it under this conference’s name, from 1953; a school’s separate stays are listed apart.

Who came and went

SeasonSchoolMoveAnnounced
2024CaliforniaJoined from Pac-12September 1, 2023
2024SMUJoined from American Athletic ConferenceSeptember 1, 2023
2024StanfordJoined from Pac-12September 1, 2023
2014LouisvilleJoined from American Athletic ConferenceNovember 28, 2012
2014MarylandLeft for Big TenNovember 19, 2012
2013PittsburghJoined from Big EastSource
2013SyracuseJoined from Big EastSeptember 18, 2011
2005Boston CollegeJoined from Big EastSource
2004MiamiJoined from Big EastSource
2004Virginia TechJoined from Big EastSource
1992Florida StateJoined (independent before) (football only)Source
1983Georgia TechJoined (independent before) (football only)Source
1971South CarolinaLeft to play as an independentSource
1953ClemsonJoined from SoConSource
1953DukeJoined from SoConSource
6 earlier moves
1953MarylandJoined from SoConSource
1953NC StateJoined from SoConSource
1953North CarolinaJoined from SoConSource
1953South CarolinaJoined from SoConSource
1953 †VirginiaJoined (independent before)Source
1953Wake ForestJoined from SoConSource

Full members that play football elsewhere: Notre Dame (independent).

Football moves from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the season is the first one played in the new conference, and the date the one the lists or their sources give for the announcement. † Our membership records (CollegeFootballData.com) date the move to another season, or don’t show it. Full members from the member tables in the conference’s Wikipedia article. SportsDataverse’s football memberships agree with ours in all 720 team-seasons from 1953. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); memberships: SportsDataverse.

Honors while members

Heisman winners 4

Florida State3
Louisville1

Consensus All-Americans 146

Florida State35
Clemson31
North Carolina13
NC State12
Maryland9

NFL first-round picks 203

Clemson39
Florida State37
North Carolina26
NC State18
Miami16

Counted only in seasons a school was a member on file (from 1953); a draft pick counts for the season before the draft. Heisman and All-America lists from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), draft picks from CollegeFootballData.com.

The money

The Atlantic Coast Conference is a nonprofit. Its IRS Form 990 for the year to June 2025 reports $826.5 million in revenue, $588.8 million of it from television, and $789.2 million in expenses; it ended the year with $364.4 million in assets. Its best-paid, president James Phillips, was paid $4.7 million.

By year

YearRevenueExpensesAssetsTop pay
2024-25$826M$789M$364M$4.7M
2023-24$711M$705M$274M$4.1M
2022-23$707M$694M$275M$2.8M
2021-22$617M$607M$246M$3.4M
2020-21$578M$573M$230M$3.6M
2019-20$497M$500M$117M$4.0M
2018-19$455M$445M$44.9M
2017-18$465M$458M$40.8M$3.5M
2016-17$418M$418M$46.8M
2015-16$373M$373M$44.7M
2014-15$403M$404M$47.8M
2013-14$302M$303M$76.5M
2012-13$232M$234M$53.5M
2011-12$224M$224M$42.0M
2010-11$167M$166M$40.4M

Best paid, 2024-25

James Phillips, president$4.7 million
Pearlynn Houck, chief legal officer & general counsel$659,000
Ben Tario, treasurer$480,000
Paul Brazeau, SVP, men’s basketball$421,000
Brad Hostetter, secretary$410,000

Paid by bowls

2024-25Orange Bowl$69,000
2024-25Gator Bowl$1.9 million
2024-25Duke’s Mayo Bowl$1.9 million
2023-24Orange Bowl$69,000
2023-24Duke’s Mayo Bowl$4.8 million
2023-24Gator Bowl$2.2 million
2022-23Orange Bowl$66,000
2022-23Gator Bowl$2.7 million
2022-23Duke’s Mayo Bowl$2.2 million

Grants it lists, 2024-25

Clemsonallocation of general support$55.1 million
Syracuseallocation of general support$49.4 million
Miamiallocation of general support$48.3 million
Dukeallocation of general support$48.2 million
North Carolinaallocation of general support$47.9 million
Louisvilleallocation of general support$47.4 million
Boston Collegeallocation of general support$47.1 million
Virginia Techallocation of general support$46.5 million
10 more
NC Stateallocation of general support$46.5 million
University of Pittsburghallocation of general support$46.3 million
Georgia Techallocation of general support$46.1 million
Virginiaallocation of general support$43.6 million
Florida Stateallocation of general support$43.6 million
Wake Forestallocation of general support$42.8 million
Californiaallocation of general support$23.0 million
Stanfordallocation of general support$19.6 million
Notre Dameallocation of general support$18.1 million
SMUallocation of general support$17.1 million

From the organization’s IRS Form 990, via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and the IRS’s e-file data. Fiscal years end in June; top pay is the best-paid person’s total compensation on the return, listed for e-filed years (2018 on). Grants are the ones the conference lists on Schedule I; bowl payments are the ones bowls list on theirs. See every filing at ProPublica (EIN 56-0599082).