ACC announces Louisville's nine 2026 conference opponents
The Atlantic Coast Conference has officially announced its teams’ nine-game conference schedules for the 2026 football season.
It’s the first year the league is switching to a nine-game slate, instead of the traditional eight-game, in hopes of providing a more balanced and competitive schedule. The conference will also require teams to meet a 10-power-conference game minimum for teams, something Louisville shouldn’t have much of a problem with, as the Cards are set to open the season against Ole Miss in Nashville and continue their annual rivalry with Kentucky.
Louisville is one of 12 ACC schools with nine conference games next season — Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech will play an eight-game schedule.
“Today’s announcement of our 2026 football league opponents is another significant and intentional step forward for ACC Football,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “Transitioning to a nine-game conference schedule strengthens our competitive framework, aligns us with the other Power Four conferences and provides greater consistency for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. This phased approach reflects our commitment to competitive equity, scheduling flexibility and delivering a premier football product across all 17 institutions.”
Beginning in 2026, the ACC will introduce the new schedule structure through a transitional season designed to balance competitive equity, honor existing non-conference game contracts, and account for the league’s unique 17-team footprint. Twelve teams will play a 9+1 schedule (nine ACC games plus at least one Power Four non-conference opponent) while five teams will play an 8+2 schedule (eight ACC games paired with at least two Power Four non-conference matchups).
The 2026 Louisville football ACC schedule contains the following games
Home: Florida State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Wake Forest
Away: Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse
Florida State is making its first trip to Louisville since 2022, while SMU is visiting for the second time in its history. Stanford will play in L&N Stadium for the first time when the Cardinal comes to town. Louisville has yet to beat one of the three newest additions to the league.
On the road, Jeff Brohm’s team will face a challenging set of games, highlighted by trips to North Carolina and NC State, as well as tough contests against Georgia Tech and Syracuse.
The Cardinals are already set to face Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Villanova as part of next season’s non-conference schedule.
ACC schedule game dates, TV designations, and kickoff times will be released in late January.
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