ACC football is at a crossroads. Here's what our 5-game marathon with Jim Phillips revealed

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.

For the first time in five games, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips looks nervous.

He has spent two days traveling across the Southeast in one of the most important opening weekends of his conferences 72-year history: Syracuse-Tennessee, Florida State-Alabama, Clemson-LSU, Virginia Tech-South Carolina and, now, Miami-Notre Dame.

Thats five games against ranked opponents featuring four of his premier programs plus last years 10-win surprise.

Five chances for statement victories that would elevate the leagues reputation.

Advertisement Through the first 19-plus quarters, Phillips rarely showed any emotion, whether on the sidelines or watching on his iPhone en route from one stadium to another.

But now, with less than two minutes to go between the Hurricanes and Irish, he wipes his face, straightens his jacket and shifts his weight anxiously from right to left and back again.

Tied game.

Timeout.

The Rocky theme blares.

One outcome can never rescue or ruin a conference, but this feels like an inflection point for a league in transition, if not trouble.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has added schools from California and Texas to boost its reach and revenue.

It has resolved months of legal infighting with two of its biggest brands in a settlement that, some argue, put an expiration date on the league.

It has overhauled its payout system to address the revenue gap with the Big Ten and SEC thats expected to swell to $50 million per school by 2036.

All of them are tacit acknowledgments that, as much as the ACCs soul remains on the basketball courts of Tobacco Road, its future rests in major wins on the football field.

There are only so many chances for one conference to differentiate itself from the rest.

Only so many opportunities to seize the marquee wins that entice TV partners and influence College Football Playoff decisions.

Only so many years before the next round of media rights negotiations and conference realignment threaten to destabilize the industry and, perhaps, Phillips league.

Only so many moments like the one playing out on the Hard Rock Stadium turf 5 yards in front of him.

The one hes powerless to do anything about.

Game 1: Syracuse vs.

No.

24 Tennessee ATLANTA There are two things to know about going to a football game with Phillips: Its not really about football, and he walks really fast.

Advertisement Phillips will be in the stadium for less than half (2 hours, 25 minutes, 24 seconds) of the five hours of game action this weekend.

The more meaningful number is 181 how many people hell hug, fist bump or otherwise embrace, from custodial workers to bowl executives to the U.S.

secretary of state.

Hell tout his leagues quarterbacks to Chris Fowler, chat with Nike CEO Elliott Hill and spend so long talking to a security guard hes nearly trapped by a marching band.

Its reasonable to expect all these interactions to strengthen relationships that contribute to the box score or bottom line.

Phillips says thats not why hes here.

I dont need it to show up in the box score for it to be the right thing for me to do, Phillips says.

Still, every moment is a marketing opportunity, whether its arriving at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in an orange and blue tie or perking up when the volunteer driver, Mike Cary, mentions that he went to Miami.

Lets go U, Phillips says.

Your stock just went up with me.

Because theres always another hand to shake or plane to catch, every step is quick.

Phillips speed is so well-known that school officials know to skip morning workouts and wear sneakers if theyre guiding him around the stadium.

The pace is even more important today.

Most Saturdays, Phillips will attend one game in the early window and another in prime time, enough to try to see all 17 football members (Notre Dame is an independent) at home at least once in a season.

Theres no wiggle room on a weekend with 7 hours, 7 minutes in the air plus 4 hours, 18 minutes in the car.

Like, every second matters, Phillips says.

Some of those seconds are more notable than others.

Youre going to three today? SEC commissioner Greg Sankey asks before two of the most powerful people in college sports slink away for a private nine-minute conversation.

Advertisement Its easy to frame this as an ACC-vs-SEC weekend with their four head-to-head matchups; a pregame tunnel exclamation from a Syracuse staffer F SEC! bolsters that case.

But its more about the ACC maximizing moments against big-name programs, the way the league did not long ago.

From 2014-18, Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Louisville went a combined 32-23 against the SEC/Big Ten.

It wasnt just the Tigers knocking off Alabama for two national titles or Florida State topping Auburn for the final BCS title a year earlier.

Virginia Tech gave 2014 national champion Ohio State its only defeat.

Miami beat Nebraska.

Louisville beat Texas A&M.

Georgia Tech beat Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl.

But from 2021-24, those same programs were 12-30 against the SEC/Big Ten.

They lost three times to Rutgers, three times to Kentucky and twice to Vanderbilt.

If the ACC is going to repair its reputation, these are the games it needs to win.

The significance, Phillips says, cant be denied.

Saturday doesnt get off to the start he wants.

Syracuse already trails 10-0 when Phillips returns to Carys Kia.

A roar from the Tennessee-heavy crowd filters into the backseat.

That doesnt sound good, ACC general counsel Pearlynn Houck says.

Not at all, Phillips responds.

Game 2: Florida State vs.

No.

8 Alabama TALLAHASSEE, Fla.

If there were any doubts about how Phillips would be received at one of the member schools that sued him, the answer is quick and convincing.

Hey, commish! one Florida State fan yells in the concourse.

Lets go Noles, replies Phillips, sporting the garnet and gold tie he switched into on the plane.

An hour before kickoff, FSU head coach Mike Norvell pops out of the locker room to hug the commissioner.

The all-caps message in a Phillips family group text: NOLES! On the sidelines, Phillips embraces athletic director Michael Alford, board of trustees chairperson Peter Collins, president Richard McCullough and College Football Hall of Fame running back Warrick Dunn.

Advertisement I think were all friends now, McCullough says.

That did not always seem to be the case.

In December 2023, the ACC and Florida State sued each other over the leagues exit terms and TV rights.

Clemson and the ACC added their own dueling lawsuits a few months later, but the Tigers never accused Phillips and predecessor John Swofford of skippering the league to its existential brink.

Florida State did.

As hot as the rhetoric burned at times, FSU and ACC brass always left the door open for them to continue their 34-year partnership.

Were better with them, Phillips said, and theyre better with us.

Formal reconciliation came in May.

The ACCs worst-case scenario is that it signed its own death warrant by dropping schools exit fees from $165 million this year to $75 million in 2030-31 around the time the Big Ten, SEC or hypothetical super league could be looking for members.

The best-case scenario is that it spurred a league-wide evolution.

The ACC was already tilting its payouts to schools that win the most in football and basketball.

The agreement added a new wrinkle: 60 percent of its TV money will be awarded based on TV viewership.

Three-quarters of the formula is based on football.

The ones that do have the chance to earn ACC payouts comparable to schools in the Big Ten or SEC.

The only catch? You have to perform, said Alford, the Seminoles AD.

The Seminoles did not last year: A 2-10 season was their worst in 50 years .

But they are against Alabama.

The best Doak Campbell Stadium atmosphere in years forces early false start and delay of game penalties.

Its an early statement for Florida State and Tommy Castellanos, the Boston College transfer who declared this spring that Nick Saban-less Alabama could not stop him.

Phillips heads for the parking lot and the first problem: Theres no driver.

Nine minutes waiting is nine minutes Phillips isnt shaking hands or patting backs.

When the fastest route to the airport is blocked outside the stadium, the driver tries to talk a police officer into letting the ACC commissioner through.

Advertisement Uh, no, the cop replies.

The longer route includes a brief but moderately terrifying jaunt in the wrong direction of a one-way road and a detour to an incorrect drop-off point.

Along the way, Phillips gets an update: FSU scored again.

Thirteen for the good guys, Phillips says.

Seven, Alabama.

Game 3: No.

4 Clemson vs.

No.

9 LSU CLEMSON, S.C.

Because the ACC doesnt have the SECs depth, the Big Tens middle class or the Big 12s top-to-bottom parity, its football reputation rises and falls with its big-name programs.

Miami.

Virginia Tech.

Florida State.

Clemson.

From 2011-16, every FSU-Clemson game was a nationally ranked matchup.

Since then? Zero.

Even though Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney competes fiercely with the rival Seminoles on the field and in recruiting, they need each other to raise the leagues profile.

Clemson is better with a strong Florida State, just as Florida State is better with a strong Clemson.

So Swinney, an Alabama alumnus, does the tomahawk chop outside the Tigers locker room.

The Seminoles are still ahead.

Phillips youngest son, James, keeps the commissioner informed as he schmoozes his way around Death Valley .

Clemson president James P.

Clements pauses a meet-and-greet in his suite for a group photo with Phillips, James and two ACC staffers.

No lingering resentment here, either.

Commish, you look good in orange, one Tigers staffer says, noticing the new tie striped with white.

Before Phillips heads down to the field, James has another update.

Florida State is two minutes away from its third top-10 win under Norvell.

You think this is gonna happen? Phillips asks.

Final score: Florida State 31, Alabama 17.

FSU fans rush the field for only the second time since 1996, drawing a $50,000 fine under new ACC guidelines.

Tommy Castellanos called it in the spring, Phillips says.

Advertisement Theres no trash talk with Sankey as the two commissioners watch their Tigers showdown from opposite parts of the field.

Phillips stands near the end zone with his arms crossed as LSU scores the go-ahead touchdown 15 feet away.

He doesnt move.

Phillips shares his teams triumphs and shoulders some responsibility for their failures.

He can advocate for his schools and try to put them in position to compete.

He can even superstitiously change seating assignments on the plane, as he did during Syracuses 45-26 loss.

But the games themselves? Cant do anything about it, Phillips says.

Thirty yards away, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik warms up.

Theres 12 minutes left, and Phillips is still optimistic.

If you want a quarterback to bring you back, Phillips says, thats the one.

Phillips remains positive as he monitors the final minutes on the ride to the airport.

He planned to stay for the whole game, but the pilots must be in the air heading back toward the ACCs Charlotte headquarters by 11:30 p.m.

A conference commissioner is powerless against federal aviation regulations, too.

The video feed gets fuzzy at times as the SUV zooms by the hills and lakes of upstate South Carolina.

Phillips leans over from the backseat to watch Houcks phone.

The glow of the cell phone lights up his expressionless face as Klubniks desperation fourth-down pass hits the dirt.

Phillips drifts back in his seat.

He says nothing.

No one does.

Phillips watches the replay on his own phone, and the final seconds tick away.

LSU 17, Clemson 10.

He closes the app, then breaks the silence.

Time to answer 107 unread texts.

Game 4: Virginia Tech vs.

No.

13 South Carolina HUNTERSVILLE, N.C.

As Phillips walks with his family to the seventh pew at Saint Mark Catholic Church on Sunday morning, hes already dressed for the Hokies game.

Theres a story behind this maroon and burnt orange tie and all the others.

Advertisement Early in Phillips tenure as Northwesterns athletic director, his father, John, told him how much he liked one purple and white striped tie.

After John died in 2011, Phillips kept wearing the stripes as a tribute.

His wife, Laura, thought about that when Phillips accepted the ACC commissioner job in December 2020.

What if his family got him a striped tie to wear for every team in the league? Their oldest son, Luke, accepted the challenge 11 days before Christmas.

It was a hunt to get some of them, said their middle child, Meredith.

On Christmas morning, Phillips thought the last presents had been opened when his family surprised him with one more: a homemade tie rack fashioned out of cardboard with hand-drawn logos for every team and a color-coordinated striped tie to match.

The Hokies tie hangs around Phillips neck back in Atlanta as he snags a few minutes with two members of Virginia Techs governing board.

Two weeks ago, those board members heard a presentation from Hokies athletic director Whit Babcock detailing a department at a crossroads.

His slides used phrases like getting left behind and fall into irrelevance a hard-to-fathom fear for a program that won at least 10 games in each of its first eight ACC seasons and played the Seminoles for the 1999 national title.

Another message: It Costs Money to Win It Costs Money to Lose For Virginia Tech, the cost of winning is more than $52 million, if board members like the ones Phillips meets buy into Babcocks presentation.

And that leads to the ACCs endgame.

By paying schools based on their success and viewership, the ACC is incentivizing greater investment.

Greater investment creates better teams.

Better teams retain equal CFP access , make more money and draw larger audiences until their ESPN deal expires in 2036.

Perhaps those factors are enough to land a media rights deal lucrative enough for the ACC to remain a power conference in whatever the landscape looks like then.

Advertisement All of that is predicated on one factor.

Winning.

The Hokies are not.

They trail 7-2 in the first quarter when Phillips turns to leave.

He thanks Cary, the volunteer driver and Miami alum, and promises to return from The U with a W.

The WiFi signal on the six-seat Cessna six-seat is too weak for streaming, so updates came sporadically through text messages.

As the ground below turns from south Florida swamps to civilization, the feed finally returns.

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers scrambles for a first down to ice the Hokies 24-11 loss.

On Phillips phone, ESPN shows Miami quarterback Carson Beck walking off the team bus.

Through the gray clouds out Phillips window, Hard Rock Stadium comes into view.

Game 5: Notre Dame at Miami MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.

From 1983-2001, Miami won five national championships as an independent or member of the Big East.

Since joining the ACC for the 2004 season, the school has never won the conference title.

The Bernie Kosar, Jim Kelly and Sean Taylor jerseys in the stands show a fan base still clinging to those glory days.

When Miami does really well, its a very powerful brand, head coach Mario Cristobal said this summer.

On the sidelines, Phillips walks behind Michael Irvin to greet Miami president Joe Echevarria.

He embraces Ray Lewis, runs into Ed Reed, chats up Stephen A.

Smith and Jimmy Johnson and hugs Cristobal.

In the second half, Phillips will spend almost 20 minutes in a private suite with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Florida Gov.

Ron DeSantis.

Thats why you make this trip, Phillips says.

The field is too crowded for Phillips, so he parks in the corner of the Hurricanes second-level recruiting lounge.

The space doubles as a night club for Dolphins games (the throbbing neon lights give it away), but the only sounds come from the game below.

Phillips leans forward, chin in left hand.

Advertisement Although Notre Dame is an ACC member in every other sport, Phillips isnt conflicted.

For games between two of his teams, his tie is neutral.

Tonight, its orange and white.

When Miamis Rueben Bain Jr.

snags a fourth-quarter interception, Phillips grabs his phone to record a video of the crowd to send to his boys.

Hard Rock Stadium hasnt felt this electric in years.

Phillips heads to the field for the closing drives.

He shifts his weight anxiously from right to left as the game goes back and forth and Miamis go-ahead field goal splits the uprights.

One minute left.

Bain and Akheem Mesidor storm past the Irish for the game-clinching sack, and the crowd erupts.

Phillips takes off running.

Theres always another plane to catch.

The texts from across the league fly in faster than his phone can count.

Phillips stops responding long enough to get on a call with Cary, the volunteer driver from Atlanta and Miami alum.

We did that for you tonight, Phillips says.

Miamis 27-24 victory did not save the ACC on its own, just as North Carolinas dud the next night did not shutter it.

The reality is nuanced.

Syracuse and Virginia Tech fell as underdogs to ranked teams.

Both programs and their middle-class colleagues will have to elevate the conferences second tier.

The league gained a CFP contender at Florida State , didnt lose one at Clemson and solidified one at Miami .

They must carry the ACC from here to create the blockbuster matchups and postseason success the conference needs to keep going.

Nobodys handing any trophies out after Week 1, Phillips says on the plane ride back to Charlotte.

However, the narrative starts to reset.

We wont know for years what that reset will mean for Phillips or the league hes skippering.

Maybe a pair of top-10 nonconference wins becomes a turning point for the ACC in future TV and CFP format discussions the moments that preserve its seat at the table and chart a path to long-term stability.

Or maybe its 3-4 overall record against Power 4 opponents and Bill Belichicks dud of a debut with the Tar Heels show the struggles of a traditional basketball conference trying to make it in a football world.

Advertisement In the backseat of a black Escalade outside Hard Rock Stadium, Phillips makes his feelings clear.

He grabs the arm of a passenger in front of him with a can-you-believe-it squeeze, then reclines and exhales.

Thank you, Jesus, he says.

Thank you, Jesus.

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