ACC Votes To Keep Eight-Game Conference Schedule; Adds Power 5 Requirement

The ACC voted today to keep the schools' football schedules at eight conference games per season.

Swofford announces recommendation to play 8 #ACC games + 1 vs group of 5 or ND, starting in '17. Sending to business session for approval

— ACC Football (@theACCfootball) May 12, 2014

ACC votes to remain at 8-game conference schedule

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) May 12, 2014

In addition, the conference announced that, starting in 2017, at least one non-conference game must be from a "Power 5" conference -- the SEC, Pac 12, Big Ten or Big XII. For these purposes, Notre Dame will count as a Power 5 school, though it hasn't been decided yet if BYU, Army and Navy will count.

If this sounds familiar, it's because the SEC made virtually the same announcement just a couple weeks prior:

Each SEC team will continue to play eight conference football games per season, to include six games against division opponents and two games against non-division opponents. One of the non-division opponents will be a permanent annual opponent and the other non-division opponent will rotate each year.

In addition, at least one opponent from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten or Pac-12 must be scheduled by each SEC school on an annual basis beginning in 2016, with assistance from the conference office.

One criticism against Mike London is that his scheduling is actually too ambitious, so this doesn't appear present a huge issue going forward for Virginia, although the question of whether BYU counts is one that's pertinent to the Hoos, who have them scheduled twice after 2017. Here's what we know so far about UVA's out of conference schedule going forward. "Power 5" schools are in bold.

2014: UCLA, Richmond, BYU, Kent State
2015: UCLA, Notre Dame, Boise State, William & Mary
2016: Richmond, Oregon, Connecticut, Central Michigan
2017: William & Mary, Stanford, Connecticut, Boise State
2018: Richmond, Stanford
2019: BYU
2020: BYU
2021: Illinois
2022: Illinois

At some point, Virginia also owes Penn State a return trip.

Reports are saying that the conference will continue allowing schools to schedule FCS games. No word yet on whether, at some point in the not-too-distant future, the conference will abandon the divisional structure to allow greater flexibility in scheduling. Since Boston College joined the conference, for example, the Hoos have only seen the Eagles three times -- 2005, 2009, 2010 (all losses) -- and are not slated to see them this year either.