The Atlantic Coast Conference announced the 2018 football schedule Wednesday, and once again, it includes arguably the most challenging non-conference competition among the Power 5 conferences.
- ACC teams will play more games (19) against Power 5 competition (including Notre Dame) than any of their peers.
- ACC teams will play more games against non-conference teams (13) ranked in last year’s final Associated Press Top 25 than any other Power 5 conference.
- The ACC has the highest percentage (.232) of games against teams ranked in the final AP poll of any of its peer conferences.
- ACC teams will play 27 games against non-conference opponents that participated in bowl games last season, the highest total among Power 5 conferences.
- ACC teams will play 13 non-conference games against teams in ESPN’s 2018 Way-Too-Early Top 25, which is the most among their peers.
- ACC teams’ non-conference opponents had the highest combined winning percentage (.558) in 2017 of any of the Power 5 leagues.
“The 2018 ACC Football schedule provides our schools and programs the opportunity to build upon the numerous football successes that have been achieved in recent years,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “Once again, our teams will be facing both a daunting conference schedule and what is collectively the most challenging non-conference schedule in the country. There will be no shortage of excitement for fans on a weekly basis.”
ACC teams will play two neutral site games on the opening weekend of the season, including Louisville facing defending national champion Alabama in the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, Sept. 1. Miami and LSU will meet in the AdvoCare Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday, Sept. 2.
The ACC’s traditional Labor Day Monday game features Virginia Tech at Florida State.
The ACC will have four games nationally televised by ESPN or ESPN2 on Thursday nights, including Boston College at Wake Forest (Sept. 13), North Carolina at Miami (Sept. 27), Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech (Oct. 25) and Wake Forest at NC State (Nov. 8). The league also has five Friday night games, including Georgia Tech at Louisville (Oct. 5), Miami at Boston College (Oct. 26), Pitt at Virginia (Nov. 2), Louisville at Syracuse (Nov. 9) and Virginia at Virginia Tech (Nov. 23).
The schedule includes five games against Notre Dame, which finished No. 11 in the final 2017 AP Top 25 poll. Wake Forest hosts the Irish on Sept. 22, and Virginia Tech welcomes Notre Dame to Blacksburg on Oct. 6. Pitt (Oct. 13) and Florida State (Nov. 10) travel to South Bend. Syracuse and Notre Dame will meet in Yankee Stadium in The Bronx on Nov. 17.
In all, the schedule includes 56 regular-season conference match-ups over a span of 13 weeks and is capped off with the 14th annual Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game, which will be played on Saturday, Dec. 1, at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
Sept. 1 MASSACHUSETTS
Sept. 8 HOLY CROSS
Sept. 13 at Wake Forest (Thurs.)
Sept. 22 at Purdue
Sept. 29 TEMPLE
Oct. 6 at NC State
Oct. 13 LOUISVILLE
Oct. 26 MIAMI (Fri.)
Nov. 3 at Virginia Tech
Nov. 10 CLEMSON
Nov. 17 at Florida State
Nov. 24 SYRACUSE
Sept. 1 FURMAN
Sept. 8 at Texas A&M
Sept. 15 GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Sept. 22 at Georgia Tech
Sept. 29 SYRACUSE
Oct. 6 at Wake Forest
Oct. 20 NC STATE
Oct. 27 at Florida State
Nov. 3 LOUISVILLE
Nov. 10 at Boston College
Nov. 17 DUKE
Nov. 24 SOUTH CAROLINA
Sept. 1 ARMY WEST POINT
Sept. 8 at Northwestern
Sept. 15 at Baylor
Sept. 22 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
Sept. 29 VIRGINIA TECH
Oct. 13 at Georgia Tech
Oct. 20 VIRGINIA
Oct. 27 at Pitt
Nov. 3 at Miami
Nov. 10 NORTH CAROLINA
Nov. 17 at Clemson
Nov. 24 WAKE FOREST
Sept. 3 VIRGINIA TECH (Mon.)
Sept. 8 SAMFORD
Sept. 15 at Syracuse
Sept. 22 NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Sept. 29 at Louisville
Oct. 6 at Miami
Oct. 20 WAKE FOREST
Oct. 27 CLEMSON
Nov. 3 at NC State
Nov. 10 at Notre Dame
Nov. 17 BOSTON COLLEGE
Nov. 24 FLORIDA
Sept. 1 ALCORN STATE
Sept. 8 at USF
Sept. 15 at Pitt
Sept. 22 CLEMSON
Sept. 29 BOWLING GREEN
Oct. 5 at Louisville (Fri.)
Oct. 13 DUKE
Oct. 25 at Virginia Tech (Thurs.)
Nov. 3 at North Carolina
Nov. 10 MIAMI
Nov. 17 VIRGINIA
Nov. 24 at Georgia
Sept. 1 vs. Alabama (Camping World Kickoff , Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.)
Sept. 8 INDIANA STATE
Sept. 15 WESTERN KENTUCKY
Sept. 22 at Virginia
Sept. 29 FLORIDA STATE
Oct. 5 GEORGIA TECH (Fri.)
Oct. 13 at Boston College
Oct. 27 WAKE FOREST
Nov. 3 at Clemson
Nov. 9 at Syracuse (Fri.)
Nov. 17 NC STATE
Nov. 24 KENTUCKY
Sept. 2 vs. LSU (Sun.) (AdvoCare Classic, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas)
Sept. 8 SAVANNAH STATE
Sept. 15 at Toledo
Sept. 22 FIU
Sept. 27 NORTH CAROLINA (Thurs.)
Oct. 6 FLORIDA STATE
Oct. 13 at Virginia
Oct. 26 at Boston College (Fri.)
Nov. 3 DUKE
Nov. 10 at Georgia Tech
Nov. 17 at Virginia Tech
Nov. 24 PITT
Sept. 1 at California
Sept. 8 at East Carolina
Sept. 15 UCF
Sept. 22 PITT
Sept. 27 at Miami (Thurs.)
Oct. 13 VIRGINIA TECH
Oct. 20 at Syracuse
Oct. 27 at Virginia
Nov. 3 GEORGIA TECH
Nov. 10 at Duke
Nov. 17 WESTERN CAROLINA
Nov. 24 NC STATE
Sept. 1 JAMES MADISON
Sept. 8 GEORGIA STATE
Sept. 15 WEST VIRGINIA
Sept. 22 at Marshall
Sept. 29 VIRGINIA
Oct. 6 BOSTON COLLEGE
Oct. 20 at Clemson
Oct. 27 at Syracuse
Nov. 3 FLORIDA STATE
Nov. 8 WAKE FOREST (Thurs.)
Nov. 17 at Louisville
Nov. 24 at North Carolina
Sept. 1 ALBANY
Sept. 8 PENN STATE
Sept. 15 GEORGIA TECH
Sept. 22 at North Carolina
Sept. 29 at UCF
Oct. 6 SYRACUSE
Oct. 13 at Notre Dame
Oct. 27 DUKE
Nov. 2 at Virginia (Fri.)
Nov. 10 VIRGINIA TECH
Nov. 17 at Wake Forest
Nov. 24 at Miami
Sept. 1 at Western Michigan
Sept. 8 WAGNER
Sept. 15 FLORIDA STATE
Sept. 22 UCONN
Sept. 29 at Clemson
Oct. 6 at Pitt
Oct. 20 NORTH CAROLINA
Oct. 27 NC STATE
Nov. 3 at Wake Forest
Nov. 9 LOUISVILLE (Fri.)
Nov. 17 vs. Notre Dame (Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, N.Y.)
Nov. 24 at Boston College
Sept. 1 RICHMOND
Sept. 8 at Indiana
Sept. 15 OHIO
Sept. 22 LOUISVILLE
Sept. 29 at NC State
Oct. 13 MIAMI
Oct. 20 at Duke
Oct. 27 NORTH CAROLINA
Nov. 2 PITT (Fri.)
Nov. 10 LIBERTY
Nov. 17 at Georgia Tech
Nov. 23 at Virginia Tech (Fri.)
Sept. 3 at Florida State (Mon.)
Sept. 8 WILLIAM & MARY
Sept. 15 EAST CAROLINA
Sept. 22 at Old Dominion
Sept. 29 at Duke
Oct. 6 NOTRE DAME
Oct. 13 at North Carolina
Oct. 25 GEORGIA TECH (Thurs.)
Nov. 3 BOSTON COLLEGE
Nov. 10 at Pitt
Nov. 17 MIAMI
Nov. 23 VIRGINIA (Fri.)
Aug. 30 at Tulane (Thurs.)
Sept. 8 TOWSON
Sept. 13 BOSTON COLLEGE (Thurs.)
Sept. 22 NOTRE DAME
Sept. 29 RICE
Oct. 6 CLEMSON
Oct. 20 at Florida State
Oct. 27 at Louisville
Nov. 3 SYRACUSE
Nov. 8 at NC State (Thurs.)
Nov. 17 PITT
Nov. 24 at Duke
Read More
Marvin Bagley doing his best Blake Griffin impression, plus more on ACC in the top 25