"The turning of the calendar used to mark the demarcation between nonconference and conference play. With the expansion of conference size and a corresponding increase in the number of conference games, that has changed in some leagues -- most notably the Big Ten and Big East, where the majority of teams have already played four or five games against league opponents."
"Despite being comfortably the best team in the ACC last season, the Blue Devils needed to beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill on the final day of the regular season to clinch the outright title. The bottom half of the league was so poor that the top three teams -- Duke, Clemson and Louisville -- were able to stockpile wins and compile gaudy records, taking it down to the wire for the conference crown."
Expanded conference sizes have moved the traditional line between nonconference and conference play, with leagues such as the Big Ten and Big East seeing many teams play several conference games earlier. The main stretch of the 2025-26 season is underway, and contenders must separate themselves from pretenders in the coming weeks. Nonconference scheduling has become tougher, producing a record 45 games between ranked opponents in the season's first two months. ESPN's BPI projections are being used to evaluate favorites and threats across power conferences. In the ACC, Duke was the top team last season but required a win at North Carolina to clinch the title, while a weak bottom half allowed top teams to amass wins and create a close race.
Read at ESPN.com
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