ACC Announces Conference Football Opponents for 2004-05

Oct. 1, 2003

Tiger Tracks: Dr. Phillips | Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips Audio

Clemson, SC–The Atlantic Coast Conference released a preliminary schedule format on Wednesday for the 2004-05 academic year. If the conference holds a championship game in football, the league will be divided into two divisions. If a championship game is not approved, the league would be just one 11-team league. Men’s basketball will play a 16-game regular season format and women’s basketball will play 14 regular season games, the conference announced.

Due to uncertainties surrounding the championship game, the ACC has decided to develop a flexible, two year schedule for the 2004 and 2005 football seasons. Every ACC team will play eight conference games, and Clemson would be placed in a division with Maryland, NC State, Wake Forest and Florida State if the championship game is approved. Clemson will not play North Carolina and Virginia Tech in the next two seasons under the format. The 2004 season will be the first time since 1956 that Clemson has not played North Carolina in football.

The other Division would be composed of Duke, North Carolina, Miami (FL), Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Virginia.

Next year Clemson will have six home games, as it will play host to Maryland, Wake Forest, NC State, Georgia Tech and non-conference foes Utah State and South Carolina. The Tigers will hit the road to play Miami, Florida State, Virginia, Duke and non-conference foe Texas A&M. Clemson’s 2005 home schedule will include Texas A&M, Miami, and Florida State in addition to Virginia, Duke and Louisiana-Monroe.

In men’s basketball, the format allows each team to play every institution at least once a year and a minimum of three times every two years. Clemson is primary partners with Florida State and Georgia Tech, meaning it is guaranteed to play those opponents home and away every year. Primary partners may change after a minimum of two seasons of play. Full scheduling is targeted to be complete sometime in January.

In women’s basketball, a 14-game regular season conference schedule has been selected to allow greater flexibility in the scheduling of on-conference opponents. Clemson’s primary partners in women’s basketball are NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Wake Forest.

All 11 schools will participate in the ACC basketball tournaments, with the top five schools receiving a first-round bye. As a result, the tournaments will be four days instead of the three days in past years.