Upcoming ACC football schedule and notes

by Press Release - Wed Oct 18 08:06:40 GMT-04:00 2023

Upcoming ACC Football Schedule

SATURDAY, OCT. 21 Time, TV SiriusXM App/Web

Boston College at Georgia Tech Noon, ACCN 109, 121, 193, 194 955 or 956

Series: Georgia Tech leads series, 7-4; Last meeting: Boston College, 41-30 (2021)

ACCN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Sherree Burruss (sideline)

Pitt at Wake Forest 3:30 p.m., ACCN 109, 193, or 380 955 or 970

Series: Pitt leads series, 2-0; Last meeting: Pitt, 45-21 (2021)

ACCN: Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Orlando Franklin (analyst), Marilyn Payne (sideline)

Virginia at No. 10 North Carolina 6:30 p.m., The CW 121, 194, or 383 956 or 973

Series: North Carolina leads series, 66-58-4; Last meeting: North Carolina, 31-28 (2022)

The CW Network: Tom Werme (play-by-play), James Bates (analyst), Treavor Scales (sideline)

No. 16 Duke at No. 4 Florida State 7:30 p.m., ABC 82 or 83 83 or MadDogSports

Series: Florida State leads series, 21-0; Last meeting: Florida State, 56-35 (2020)

ABC: Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline)

Clemson at Miami 8 p.m., ACCN 108, 109, 193, 202 955 or 965

Series: Clemson leads series, 7-6; Last meeting: Clemson, 40-10 (2022)

ACCN: Wes Durham (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Taylor Tannebaum (sideline)

Open: Louisville, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech

ACC NOTES

ACC CELEBRATES 2023 FALL UNITY WEEK

As part of the ACC’s continued commitment to diversity, inclusion, social justice and racial equity, the league will hold its fourth annual Fall Unity Week, Oct. 14-22. ACC Unity Weeks are an initiative of the ACC’s Committee for Racial and Social Justice (CORE - Champions of Racial Equity) and have been developed in conjunction with its 15 member institutions.

ACC athletics departments are encouraged to actively engage in activities with their campus and local communities that promote unity. Some examples include community service projects, Unity walks, Town Hall meetings, partnerships with local social justice organizations and/or civic groups, civic engagement education and celebration of institutional UNITE Award recipients.

The theme for the 2023-24 academic year is “Civic Engagement,” chosen by CORE in conjunction with ACC SAAC to encourage their respective community’s involvement in the lead-up to the General Election in 2024.

During this week, there will be various competitions taking place across the league in the following sports: field hockey, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball, and football.

ACC WELCOMES CAL, SMU AND STANFORD

The ACC Board of Directors voted on Sept. 1 to formally admit the University of California, Berkeley (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford University to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the ACC as full members with full voting participation effective July 1, 2024 (SMU) and August 2, 2024 (Stanford and Cal). The decision followed the submission of letters of application from all three institutions.

The additions of Cal, SMU and Stanford enhance and strengthen the ACC academically, athletically and financially as well as create a true national conference that spans coast to coast. The incoming universities enrich the league’s competitiveness in all sports and further demonstrate the ACC’s commitment to broad-based programs for both women and men. More than 2,200 student-athletes from Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the nearly 10,000 current ACC student-athletes competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics.

GREATNESS IS WHAT WE DO

The ACC announced its new creative campaign, “ACCOMPLISH GREATNESS,” a multi-part brand campaign highlighting the vast success of the ACC’s athletics and academics alike. The campaign launched ahead of the ACC’s official college football season on Week 1. The series will continue with multi-sport spots highlighting the ACC’s incredible accomplishments in all sports throughout the academic year.

FOUR ACC TEAMS RANKED IN TOP 25 IN WEEK 8

For the seventh time this season, the ACC had at least four teams ranked in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll, led by Florida State at No. 4. North Carolina (No. 10) joined FSU in the top 10 for the first time this season, while Duke (No. 16) and Louisville (No. 21) round out the ACC teams in the top 25. Clemson and Miami also received votes in this week’s poll.

Four ACC teams were ranked in the USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll this week, nearly mirroring the AP Poll. Both Florida State (No. 4) and North Carolina (No. 10) were in the top 10, while Duke moved up one spot to No. 17. Louisville remained in the top 25 at No. 21, while Clemson and Miami also received votes in the coaches poll for the second consecutive week.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

The ACC has been solid in non-conference play this season, going 33-13 (.717) overall in non-conference play over the first seven weeks. The ACC does not have a non-conference game this week.

Eight of the ACC’s 33 non-conference wins have come against the Big Ten and the SEC (8-5 combined record), with the ACC recording four wins over each of the two conferences. The rest of FBS is 9-43 overall versus the two Power 5 conferences.

THEN THERE WERE TWO

Entering Week 8 of play, the ACC still has two teams that remain unbeaten in Florida State (6-0) and North Carolina (6-0).

The ACC is one of just two conferences in the FBS with multiple undefeated teams, joining the Big Ten (3).

BOWL-ELIGIBLE TEAMS

Heading into Week 8 (Oct. 15-22), there are 20 bowl-eligible teams in FBS, highlighted by three teams from the ACC in Florida State, Louisville, and North Carolina.

The ACC's three bowl-eligible teams to date are tied for the second-most of any FBS conference along with the SEC (Alabama, Georgia, Missouri) and the Pac-12 (Oregon State, USC, Washington) and behind only the Big Ten (Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State) with four teams.

With Louisville’s 33-20 win over then-No. 10 Notre Dame (Oct. 7) in Week 6, the Cardinals became the first ACC team and one of just five teams to become bowl eligible in the first six weeks of the season along with Georgia, Michigan, USC, and Oklahoma.

Since 2017, the ACC has averaged 10 bowl-eligible teams each year, including a high of 11 teams in 2018. Last season, the ACC had nine teams play in a bowl game.

ACC ON ABC/ESPN

During the first seven weeks of the season, the ACC had five games on ABC’s “Saturday Night Football” as well as a total of 24 appearances on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2.

In addition to the games already played, the ACC will be featured in a top-20 matchup on ABC this week, as No. 16 Duke will play at No. 4 Florida State on ABC’s “Saturday Night Football”.

Overall, the ACC will have had six games on ABC’s “Saturday Night Football” – the most of any FBS conference – as well as 25 appearances on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 over the first eight weeks of the season. To date, 18 ACC contests are scheduled for national ABC broadcasts, with 12 different league programs featured.

In Week 9 (Oct. 28), the ACC will have an ESPN Thursday Night primetime game with Syracuse at Virginia Tech (7:30 p.m./ESPN), while five games on Saturday, Oct. 28, have been put on a six-day flex and could end up on ABC and ESPN.

PREVIEWING WEEK 8

For the second consecutive week, Week 8 will see five key ACC matchups, highlighted by a top-25 match on ABC’s “Saturday Night Football”.

Boston College and Georgia Tech both return from an open week to continue their winning ways with a noon ET (ACCN) kickoff in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday afternoon.

Pitt will travel to Wake Forest on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET (ACCN), as the Panthers snapped a four-game skid with a 38-21 win over then-No. 14 Louisville at home last weekend, while the Demon Deacons are looking to end a three-game skid at home this week, where they are 22-5 overall since the 2019 season.

North Carolina will look to not only remain unbeaten this season but also extend its road winning streak to eight straight games with a road contest at Virginia on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (The CW). UVA is looking to pick up its second straight win following an open week last week.

The top-20 matchup between No. 16 Duke and No. 4 Florida State on Saturday (7:30 p.m./ABC) will highlight the ACC schedule, with both teams playing to stay atop of the ACC regular-season standings. However, it will not be an easy task for the Blue Devils, who have never beaten the Seminoles (21-0) on the gridiron. FSU has won 12 straight games dating back to last season, the third-longest streak in FBS to date.

Clemson will return to the field following an open week to take on Miami on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (ACCN). Both teams are looking for a key conference win to get back into the top half of the ACC standings midway through the conference season.

WEEK 7 RECAP

The home teams stood tall in Week 7 of the 2023 season, as all five home teams won by double digits.

Florida State extended its winning streak to 12 consecutive wins with a 41-3 win over Syracuse, as the Orange have now lost each of their last three games after starting the season at 4-0.

Virginia Tech held off Wake Forest for a 30-13 home win, outgaining the Demon Deacons 462 to 262 yards of total offense for the game.

Pitt continued its run of defeating at least one top-25 ranked team, making it eight straight seasons with a double-digit win over No. 14 Louisville (38-21). The loss was Louisville’s first of the season and ended the Cardinals’ winning streak at seven straight wins.

North Carolina remained unbeaten and moved to 6-0 for the first time since 1997 with a 41-31 win at home over Miami. The Hurricanes have dropped each of their last two games, both in ACC play, after starting the year at 4-0.

Duke proved why it is one of the best teams in the ACC, as the Blue Devils held NC State to a lone field goal in a 24-3 home win over the Wolfpack. The three points were the Wolfpack’s lowest point total since a 41-0 loss to Clemson on Oct. 4, 2011.