This episode of The C.L. Brown Show features Michael Strickland, the ACC's senior vice president for football, who joined to discuss the upcoming season.

Strickland explains how the new nine-game schedule was the impetus for changing the league's old tiebreaker rules to determine who makes the ACC championship game. (It could be dubiously termed the "Duke rule" after a five-way tie for second place last season ended with a five-loss Blue Devils squad making the title game and then winning it.)

Strickland also delves into how the ACC will rely on metrics to break future ties in the standings in order to identify the "most deserving team," and how College Football Playoff expansion talks could potentially impact the ACC title game — or phase it out altogether.

Hear about that and more on this week's episode of The C.L. Brown Show.

This episode of&nbsp;<a href="https://omny.fm/shows/the-c-l-show/playlists/podcast">The C.L. Brown Show</a>&nbsp;features <a href="https://theacc.com/staff-directory/michael-strickland/6">Michael Strickland, the ACC's senior vice president for football,</a> who joined to discuss the upcoming season.
Strickland explains how the <a href="https://theacc.com/news/2025/12/16/football-acc-announces-2026-league-opponents-as-move-to-nine-game-conference-schedule-begins.aspx">new nine-game schedule</a> was the <a href="https://theacc.com/news/2026/7/15/acc-announces-new-football-championship-tiebreaker-policy.aspx">impetus for changing the league's old tiebreaker rules</a> to determine who makes the <a href="https://theacc.com/feature/football-championship">ACC championship game</a>. (It could be dubiously termed the "Duke rule" after a five-way tie for second place last season ended with a five-loss Blue Devils squad making the title game and then winning it.)
Strickland also delves into how the ACC will rely on metrics to break future ties in the standings in order to identify the "most deserving team," and how <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49359428/world-cup-2026-expansion-college-football-playoff">College Football Playoff expansion talks</a> could potentially impact the ACC title game &mdash; or phase it out altogether.
Hear about that and more on this week's episode of <a href="https://omny.fm/shows/the-c-l-show/playlists/podcast">The C.L. Brown Show</a>.

The C.L. Brown Show, hosted by Louisville Courier Journal sports columnist C.L. Brown, will bring sports fans who root for the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Wildcats and others in the state, inside recent events impacting the organizations, programs, people and teams. Each week Brown will talk to one of Kentucky’s biggest sports figures — past, present or future — or someone who can shed light on everything from U of L and UK basketball and football results to the evolving college sports landscape, what it means for the teams in the state, and more. 

New episodes post each Wednesday. Tune in, and be sure to subscribe to C.L. Brown’s newsletter to have episodes, and C.L.’s latest columns, delivered right to your inbox: profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest

The C.L. Brown Show, hosted by Louisville Courier Journal sports columnist C.L. Brown, will bring sports fans who root for the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Wildcats and others in the state, inside recent events impacting the organizations, programs, people and teams. Each week Brown will talk to one of Kentucky’s biggest sports figures — past, present or future — or someone who can shed light on everything from U of L and UK basketball and football results to the evolving college sports landscape, what it means for the teams in the state, and more. 
New episodes post each Wednesday. Tune in, and be sure to subscribe to C.L. Brown’s newsletter to have episodes, and C.L.’s latest columns, delivered right to your inbox: <a href="https://profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest/">profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest</a>

The C.L. Brown Show

The C.L. Brown Show, hosted by Louisville Courier Journal sports columnist C.L. Brown, will bring sports fans who root for the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Wildcats and others in the state, inside recent events impacting the organizations, programs, people and teams. Each week Brown will talk to one of Kentucky’s biggest sports figures — past, present or future — or someone who can shed light on everything from U of L and UK basketball and football results to the evolving college sports landscape, what it means for the teams in the state, and more. 

New episodes post each Wednesday.

Tune in, and be sure to subscribe to C.L. Brown’s newsletter to have episodes, and C.L.’s latest columns, delivered right to your inbox: profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest

The C.L. Brown Show, hosted by Louisville Courier Journal sports columnist C.L. Brown, will bring sports fans who root for the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Wildcats and others in the state, inside recent events impacting the organizations, programs, people and teams. Each week Brown will talk to one of Kentucky’s biggest sports figures — past, present or future — or someone who can shed light on everything from U of L and UK basketball and football results to the evolving college sports landscape, what it means for the teams in the state, and more. 
New episodes post each Wednesday.
Tune in, and be sure to subscribe to C.L. Brown’s newsletter to have episodes, and C.L.’s latest columns, delivered right to your inbox: <a href="https://profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest/">profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest</a>