CHARLOTTE, NC – Change can bring hope. The new league scheduling model eliminates divisions and assigns just 3 yearly matchups- the remaining teams rotate. So for a team like Louisville, there’s no Florida state - no Clemson every single year.
“I think the whole thing that’s happening in the ACC is healthy, overall, for competition,” Louisville DE Ashton Gillette said. “I think obviously, new teams allow you to have new faces you are playing against, not the same people year in and year out, so it challenges you to grow and change.”
“It gives great opportunity, I mean, every ACC team, you know, obviously has a great shot,” Louisville offensive lineman Bryan Hudson said. “The way our schedule is set up this year, I think we have a really good shot with a really good team. Obviously, I think any schedule that you put in front of us we would do well with, but you know, it’s just exciting just to see how it’s going to pan out.”
And for the players and fans, variety is the spice of life.
“I mean, I’m excited - I think they are doing an interesting thing and all the athletic directors in the conference decided to - I think they said it took 12 years to play home and away with ever team,” Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader said. “You get to play some other teams and historically, people would argue that our side of the conference was tougher.”
The top two teams play for the title regardless so we could see a rematch between two former division foes, that never could happen before, as the conference wants their best two teams on display here in Charlotte in December.