Report: BYU to count as Power 5 team for future ACC schedules

In accordance with the ACC’s decision to stick with an eight-game conference schedule, the league decided that each team must play a non-conference game against a power conference opponent starting in 2017.

Now, BYU will reportedly meet that requirement for the ACC.

Last year, the ACC announced that the Cougars would not count as a Power 5 opponent, but according to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, the league has changed its stance.

BYU has played in a bowl game in 10 straight seasons under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, so, per McMurphy, “the ACC believes games against BYU would help the league’s overall strength of schedule.”

There’s more too it than that, however.

From McMurphy:

The reason for the change was because three of the four remaining Power 5 leagues (Big 12, Pac 12 and Big Ten) play nine conference games or will be going to nine conference games, meaning fewer non-conference opportunities, a source said.

Virginia is the only ACC team to currently have future matchups scheduled with BYU – at Virginia in 2019 and at BYU in 2023. The teams also played in 2013 and 2014 with each team winning once.

Like the ACC did last year, the SEC does not count BYU toward its Power 5 scheduling requirement (which begins in 2015). According to McMurphy, an SEC spokesman said “the SEC’s stance toward BYU has not changed.”

For more BYU news, visit CougarNation.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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