THIS WEEK IN THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
2021 SCHEDULE (NOV. 26-27)
Friday, Nov. 26 Time, TV Sirius XM App/Web
North Carolina at NC State 7 p.m., ESPN 84 84 84
Series: North Carolina leads series, 68-36-6; Last meeting: North Carolina, 48-21 (2020)
ESPN: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Tiffany Blackmon (sideline)
Saturday, Nov. 27 Time, TV Sirius XM App/Web
Wake Forest at Boston College Noon, ESPN2 119 202 965
Series: Boston College leads series, 14-11-2; Last meeting: Wake Forest, 27-24 (2019)
ESPN2: Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Kelsey Riggs (sideline)
Florida State at Florida Noon, ESPN 158 194 956
Series: Florida leads series, 36-26-2; Last meeting: Florida, 40-17 (2019)
ESPN: Mark Jones (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)
Georgia at Georgia Tech Noon, ABC 98 203 966
Series: Georgia leads series, 68-41-5; Last meeting: Georgia, 52-7 (2019)
ABC: Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)
Miami at Duke 12:30 p.m., RSN 99 204 967
Series: Miami leads series, 14-4; Last meeting: Miami, 48-0 (2020)
RSN: Tom Werme (play-by-play), James Bates (analyst), Wiley Ballard (sideline)
Virginia Tech at Virginia 3:45 p.m., ACCN 138 193 955
Series: Virginia Tech leads series, 59-38-5; Last meeting: Virginia Tech, 33-15 (2020)
ESPN: Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst), Taylor McGregor (sideline)
Clemson at South Carolina 7:30 p.m., SECN 137 383 973
Series: Clemson leads series, 71-42-4; Last meeting: Clemson, 38-3 (2019)
SECN: Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)
Kentucky at Louisville 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 158 194 956
Series: Kentucky leads series, 17-15; Last meeting: Kentucky, 45-13 (2019)
ESPN2: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Jalyn Johnson (sideline)
Pitt at Syracuse 7:30 p.m., ACCN 99 204 967
Series: Pitt leads series,41-32-3; Last meeting: Pitt, 21-10 (2020)
ESPN: John Schriffen (play-by-play), Rene Ingoglia (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline)
What to Watch in Week 13
• Pitt’s Kenny Pickett ranks third in ACC history with 11,841 passing yards. He is 64 yards shy of passing Clemson’s Tajh Boyd for second place. Pickett is also fourth in ACC history with 12,626 total yards of offense and is 444 yards shy of passing Boyd for third place and 550 yards shy of passing Louisville’s Lamar Jackson for second place.
• UNC’s Sam Howell has 90 career TD passes and is tied with Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence for most touchdown passes through three seasons.
• Syracuse RB Sean Tucker ranks second in the nation with 1,467 rushing yards and fifth with 1,704 all-purpose yards.
• Georgia Tech’s Jahmyr Gibbs leads the nation with 1,802 all-purpose yards (745 rushing yards, 474 receiving yards and 583 kickoff return yards).
• The ACC has six of the top 14 players in the country in total touchdowns – Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman (2nd, 40), Pitt’s Pickett (5th, 40), UVA’s Brennan Armstrong (6th, 38), Louisville’s Malik Cunningham (7th, 36), NC State’s Devin Leary (10th, 33) and North Carolina’s Howell (14th, 31).
• Louisville’s Cunningham has 18 rushing TDs, which ranks second in the country. The ACC single-season record for most rushing touchdowns by a QB is 21 by Lamar Jackson in 2016.
ACC FOOTBALL QUICK HITS
• Pitt won the ACC Coastal Division with a thrilling 48-38 victory Saturday over Virginia at Heinz Field. It is the Panthers’ second ACC Coastal Division title in the last four years (2018). Pitt will play the winner of the Atlantic Division in the 2021 Subway ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m.
• The Atlantic Division will be decided this week, and three teams are still in contention – Wake Forest, NC State and Clemson.
Wake Forest (9-2, 6-1)
Wake Forest must defeat Boston College this weekend to win the Atlantic Division and earn a spot in the Subway ACC Football Championship Game.
NC State (8-3, 5-2)
NC State needs a win over North Carolina on Friday combined with a Wake Forest loss to Boston College for the Wolfpack to earn a trip to Charlotte. NC State would
win a three-team tie at 6-2 with Clemson and Wake Forest due to its divisional record and head-to-head win over the Tigers.
Clemson (8-3, 6-2)
Clemson can earn a spot in the championship game for the seventh straight season with a Wake Forest loss to Boston College and an NC State loss to North Carolina.
BOWL NOTES
• Nine ACC teams are bowl eligible with the possibility of three more joining the ranks this weekend. The ACC record for most bowl eligible teams is 11 set twice in
2016 and 2018.
• Boston College (6-5), Clemson (8-3), Louisville (6-5), Miami (6-5), North Carolina (6-5), NC State (8-3), Pitt (9-2), Virginia (6-5) and Wake Forest (9-2) are bowl eligible.
• Teams needing a win this weekend to become bowl eligible include Florida State, which plays at Florida, Syracuse, which hosts Pitt, and Virginia Tech, which faces rival Virginia in Charlottesville.
QUICK HITS
• Twenty-three of the ACC’s 51 conference games this season have been decided by one possession (8 points or fewer), which is the most of any conference.
IN THE RANKINGS
• Three ACC teams were ranked in the Nov. 16 CFP rankings – No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 18 Pitt and No. 20 NC State. The Panthers’ No. 18 ranking is their highest
ever CFP ranking.
• Three ACC teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 – No. 20 Pitt, No. 21 Wake Forest and No. 24 NC State. The Demon Deacons have been ranked in eight consecutive AP polls this season and earned the program’s first top 10 ranking Oct. 31. In the AFCA Coaches Poll, Pitt is No. 17, Wake Forest is No. 21 and NC State is No. 24. Clemson IS also receiving votes in both polls.
ACC COACHING NOTES
The ACC has five coaches in the top 25 of wins among active coaches. North Carolina’s Mack Brown has the second-most wins of any active coach with 265, followed by Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (11th, 148), Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson (16th, 139), Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall (17th, 135) and Duke’s David Cutcliffe (18th, 121).
Among active coaches, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, North Carolina’s Mack Brown and Florida State’s Mike Norvell rank among the top 25 in the nation in career winning percentage. Swinney’s .804 winning percentage ranks third among coaches with at least five years of experience.
Two of the five active coaches to win a national title reside in the ACC. Dabo Swinney led Clemson to national titles in 2016 and 2018. North Carolina’s Mack Brown won a national title at Texas in 2005.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is one win shy of FSU’s Bobby Bowden’s ACC mark for bowl victories, which includes CFP National Championship Games. Bowden leads with 11 Bowl/CFP wins during his tenure in the ACC. Swinney ranks second with 10. Louisville’s Scott Satterfield is 4-0 with three bowl victories at Appalachian State and last year’s win over Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl.
Mack Brown’s 14 bowl victories at Texas (10) and North Carolina (4) rank fourth all-time and second among active coaches. Dabo Swinney’s 10 bowl wins are fifth among active coaches, while Duke’s David Cutcliffe and Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall are tied for 10th with seven bowl victories.
Four current league coaches have won ACC Coach of the Year honors – North Carolina’s Mack Brown in 1996, Duke’s David Cutcliffe in 2012 & 2013, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney in 2015 & 2018 and Louisville’s Scott Satterfield in 2019.
