The College Football Playoff picture will change on Saturday night no matter the outcome of the ACC Championship Game between the No. 17 Virginia Cavaliers (10-2) and the Duke Blue Devils (7-5). The game kicks off from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its 2026 conference opponents for each member institution on Tuesday afternoon, and buried in that release was an important piece of news. “The ACC Tiebreaker Policy will be updated and announced ahead of the 2026 season,” the release said.

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said Monday that the aftermath of the Fighting Irish’s College Football Playoff snub has pushed the school further from ever considering full ACC membership in football, calling the league’s recent behavior “permanent damage” to the relationship.

The Cavaliers are headed back to the Queen City this weekend. At 8 p.m. Saturday, UVA (10-2) will face Duke (7-5) for the ACC championship at Bank of America Stadium in a rematch of a game played Nov. 15 in Durham, N.C. At Wallace Wade Stadium, the Wahoos dominated the Blue Devils and won 34-17.

Another top conference commissioner has weighed in on Notre Dame and the College Football Playoff, as the Big 12’s is critical of the Irish.

On Tuesday afternoon, the ACC announced its 2026 conference slate for the football season, and it’s a mess. Due to prior scheduling agreements and the unfortunate math of a 17-team conference, twelve teams will play a 9-game ACC schedule and five teams will play an 8-game ACC schedule.