"@McMurphyESPN: ACC schools considering having non-conference games vs. other ACC teams, ADs/coaches tell @ESPN"

So basically, you could see an ACC team play an eight game conference slate plus an OOC game versus another ACC school. This seems to be all in the name of strength of schedule. I'm sure many of you have also heard about each power conferences trying to decide on an 8 versus 9 game conference schedule. Most have decided to stick with 8 game confefence schedules for now, but with things like this ACC issue, I'm afraid we're going to see less opportunities for FCS schools to play P5 schools. You may also see less home and home series between P5 and G5 schools.

I think this has something to do with realigning divisions, or maybe eliminating divisions, in the conference too. For example, UVA and UNC could be in separate divisions if they are both willing to play each other in a non-conference game and keep their rivalry alive.

Call it what you want, it's still an in-conference game.

Yeah that certainly could have something to do with it. That's one big negative with large conferences. You may only play a school once every 5 years outside of the usual core that you play.

The Big Ten is also considering doing this.

Yeah, all in the name of rivalries, I'm sure. I'm sure some will take advantage of it in different ways, but this is all to keep some rivalries alive or to give some teams the chance to schedule some of the closer conference teams that aren't on their slate.

Didn't this used to happen in the old A-10. We sometimes would have one game against a conference team that did not count for the conference record. Or maybe I am just imagining things?

Rivalries and it keeps another big fat paycheck in conference as well.

If it walks like a duck...

Indeed this has happened in the CAA/A-10 before.

So this could set up a scenario where a team losses to a fellow conference mate in a "non-conference" game yet could still win a tiebreaker with them based on other measurements to go to a conference final or a certain bowl game. Seems like unnecessary controversy, but controversy sells and that's probably the type of situation the powers that be wouldn't mind at all.