At ACC Football Kickoff Commissioner Jim Phillips challenges his league

There were plenty of questions directed at Phillips Tuesday morning at the Uptown Hilton during his hour plus address and answering questions. Most prominent were one's involving the evolving financial structure of paying college athletes, the importance of the ACC flexing its muscle against the three other Power Four conferences, and some news. The commissioner announced the implementation of two new policies surrounding event security, and in the era of sports betting, official school announcements of player's participation.

Helping decide the future structure of the College Football Playoff

Should the format stay at 12 teams, expand to 14 or 16? Phillips maintained that he is open to changing the number of teams to make the playoffs, and that discussions have been ongoing in partnership with the the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, the G6, and ESPN. While maintaining that there are indeed differences of opinion among the stakeholders, he is always open to providing more opportunities for an ACC team to compete for a national title.

"We have a really good playoff right now, the five and seven model (five conference champions and seven at large bids)," Phillips said. "I'm open to 5-9 and 5-11 (increasing to 14/16 teams). I do like we're reviewing the protocol for selection, and I think that will help, but I want to stay committed to access and fairness to all of college football, not only the ACC, and protect our AQ."

Two new ACC policies debut this season in the interest of participant safety

In an effort to cut down on fans flooding the football field after games, or storming the basketball court, in which participants, especially visiting team players, coaches, and staff have come into potential harm, the conference is asking all schools to come up with new comprehensive security plans.

All athletic departments will be tasked to work with the league office and an independent, third party entity, to ensure that at the Dome, for example, only participants, coaches, officials, and authorized personnel are allowed on the field or the basketball court before, during, and at the conclusion of any competition.

Violations of the security protocol policy could cost a school a lot of money. "It's $50,000, $100,000, and $200,000," Phillips proclaimed. Those will accumulate through two seasons in football and basketball."

With sports gambling so prolific nationally, and the instances in which both collegiate and professional players have increasingly complained about unwanted attention from sports bettors who have lost a wager, the ACC will now require football and basketball teams to provide a player availability reporting process.

"In football, an institution will submit an availability report two days before each league game with updates one day before and on game day, Phillips explained. "All submitted reports will be publicly available on theACC.com."

Men's and women's basketball will have a similar schedule one day before a game, and on game day.

Even at a football event there was room for basketball talk

While Phillips is confident that both teams that compete in the ACC Football championship game will also be among the field in the College Football Playoff, the commissioner had a moment of candor when asked about ACC basketball now playing an 18 game league schedule, down from 20 games.

"The 20 to 18, I'll just be honest with you. I am restless with ACC men's basketball, and I'm responsible for it," Phillips said. "(The level of play) it's not good enough where it is right now. I felt like going to 18 games allowed us a chance to play two more competitive nonconference games and give us a chance to have a greater winning percentage."

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