The countdown to ACC football kicked off this week with coaches, players and staff across the conference meeting in Charlotte, N.C., for media days.<\/p>\n
Head coach Rhett Lashlee and players Kevin Jennings, Logan Parr, Isaiah Nwokobia and Alexander Kilgore represented SMU<\/a> and shared their outlooks for the coming season. Conference commissioner Jim Phillips revealed some changes that are coming and expressed the ACC\u2019s stance on some of the top issues facing college sports.<\/p>\n Here are five things we learned from the three-day event in Charlotte: <\/p>\n ACC supports playoff expansion, but on certain terms<\/p>\n Sports Roundup<\/p>\n Each conference has a different take on the College Football Playoff further expanding from 12 teams to 16 or more, and it was a popular topic of conversation in Charlotte.<\/p>\n Phillips expressed an open mind to expansion<\/a> while also applauding the first year of the 12-team playoff when the ACC was one of three conferences to secure multiple bids. Phillips said he was also in favor of the change to straight seeding, which was decided this spring.<\/p>\n When asked about expansion beyond 12 teams, Phillips said he\u2019s open to a 5-9 (automatic bids-wild cards) or 5-11 model but wants one that is fair and accessible. Models proposed by the Big Ten and SEC favor those conferences in terms of the number of automatic bids, and the ACC has been firmly against those formats.<\/p>\n Lashlee also pitched his version of a 16-team College Football Playoff<\/a>, which he said he\u2019s in favor of if it eliminates the selection committee\u2019s power. Lashlee said he believes the ACC is deserving of three automatic bids and four if Notre Dame doesn\u2019t qualify.<\/p>\n Cracking down on court storming and sports betting<\/p>\n Phillips announced two policy changes<\/a>, as the ACC looks to crack down on court and field storming and the impact sports betting is having on its players.<\/p>\n The ACC will now issue fines starting at $50,000 to institutions that allow spectators to enter the playing space before the visiting team and officials have left.<\/p>\n The conference is also introducing an injury report for football, men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball and baseball. Phillips said it comes as athletes have been contacted about their status for sports betting reasons.<\/p>\n The changes will take effect this coming school year. <\/p>\n SMU head coach thinks ACC depth is on par with SEC<\/p>\n When asked about what he learned in his first season in the ACC, Lashlee spoke about the strength of schedule, parity and depth in the conference. <\/p>\n He used his answer as an opportunity to take a jab at another conference.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s other leagues that claim depth,\u201d Lashlee said. \u201cBut the SEC has had the same six schools win championships since 1964. The same six. Not a single one has been different since 1964. That\u2019s top-heavy to me. That\u2019s not depth.\u201d<\/p>\n Lashlee\u2019s comments received backlash, including from ESPN\u2019s Paul Finebaum on Get Up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile he\u2019s making fun of the SEC for winning national championships all over the place, SMU\u2019s the most corrupt program in the history of college football,\u201d Finebaum said. \u201cAnd Rhett Lashlee has the nerve to get up there and throw stones? That\u2019s one of the most comical and embarrassing rants I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d<\/p>\n After SMU nearly missed out on the College Football Playoff to Alabama last year,<\/a> Lashlee has more openly shared his opinions about the strength of his conference compared to others. His comments this week could be a message to the committee ahead of any decision it may have to make in December.<\/p>\n More to be desired from football, men\u2019s basketball<\/p>\n As much as the commissioner praised the work and growth of his conference, he wasn\u2019t afraid to criticize its marquee sports and call for better performances on the field and the court this year.<\/p>\n Outside of Clemson, Florida State and sometimes Miami, the ACC hasn\u2019t been known as a deep football conference despite Lashlee\u2019s aforementioned statements. That reputation almost made the conference a one-bid league in the College Football Playoff. <\/p>\n While the ACC did earn two spots in the playoff and 11 other teams participated in a bowl game, Phillips expressed frustration with the overall postseason performance.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t go 2-11 in postseason bowl games last year,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had 13, which was incredible, and then we played poorly.\u201d<\/p>\n The ACC\u2019s marquee sport has been men\u2019s basketball, headlined by Duke and North Carolina historically.<\/p>\n But only four teams made the men\u2019s NCAA Tournament, the lowest for the ACC since 2000.<\/p>\n \u201cI am restless with ACC men\u2019s basketball, and I\u2019m responsible for it,\u201d Phillips said. \u201cI feel responsibility for it. But it\u2019s not good enough where it is right now. I know our coaches feel the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n The conference is shifting from 20 conference games to 18 this year, and Phillips said the hope is it\u2019ll allow for two more competitive nonconference games to help with strength of schedule, especially if the ACC has another down year.<\/p>\n Concern around cap compliance<\/p>\n ACC coaches and the commissioner were hopeful about the changes college sports are facing after a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement paved the way for universities to pay their athletes directly through revenue sharing.<\/a><\/p>\n But the primary concern is whether other universities across the country will exercise the proper restraint and follow the rules of the $20.5 million cap.<\/p>\n Lashlee said he expects schools to try to beat the system and pay their players beyond the allotted amount and said he\u2019s hopeful those that do will be disciplined properly.<\/p>\n The commissioner in his address called on Congress to provide more guidance on NIL. Just days later, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting third party, pay-for-play payments to athletes<\/a>.<\/p>\n On X\/Twitter: @Lassimak<\/a><\/p>\n Trump signs executive order seeking to clarify college athletes\u2019 employment status<\/a>Several ACC teams have turned to the transfer portal for high-level QBs in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n