ACC PREVIEWS

Thursday, Sept. 1
West Virginia (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) \at #17 Pitt (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
7 p.m.; ESPN
Pitt leads series, 61-40-3
Last meeting: WVa., 21-20 (2011)
Head Coaches: Pitt – Pat Narduzzi (53-37 in eighth season at Pitt and overall)
WVa – Neal Brown (17-18 in fourth season at West Virginia; 52-34 in eighth season overall)

Notes: Following an 11-year layoff, Pitt resumes its “Backyard Brawl” rivalry with the Mountaineers • This year’s game is the first of a four-year set, with each side hosting two games between now and 2025 • The teams will also play at alternating sites four consecutive seasons from 2029-32 • The schools first met in 1895, and the series enjoyed a run of 68 consecutive games from 1944-2011 before conference realignment altered both teams’ non-league scheduling • The 104 all-time meetings are the most for either school against an opponent • The football rivalry is the 14th oldest in the United States • West Virginia has won the last three meetings between the teams and seven of the last 10 • The teams were Big East Conference rivals from 1991-2011, with the Mountaineers holding a 14-7 edge in those league games • The Panthers enter
Thursday night’s game as defending ACC champions following an 11-3 campaign in 2021.

Thursday, Sept. 1
VMI (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) at #22 Wake Forest (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
7:30 p.m.; ACCN
WFU leads series, 3-2-2
Last meeting: WFU, 38-7 (1944)
Head Coaches: Wake Forest – Dave Clawson (51-48 in ninth season at Wake Forest; 141-128 in 23rd season overall)
VMI – Scott Wachenheim (23-52 in eighth season at VMI and overall)

Notes: Wake Forest and VMI meet for the eighth time on the football field but for the first time in 78 years • Thursday night’s game will be the first between the schools since Wake Forest’s 38-7 win over the Keydets on Oct. 14, 1944, in Greensboro, N.C. • It will mark the second time the teams have met in WinstonSalem and the first since 1942 in what was then a neutral site game for the Demon Deacons, who were still based at the school’s original campus in Wake Forest, N.C. • Wake Forest has won the last three games in the series since VMI posted a 2-0-2 edge in the first four meetings – all at Lexington, Va., between 1892 and 1938 • The Deacons’ No. 22 preseason ranking is their highest ever by the Associated Press and their first since being ranked No. 23 in 2008 • VMI, under 2021 National FCS Coach of the Year Scott Wachenheim, has posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1961-62.

Friday, Sept. 2
Virginia Tech (0-0, 0-0 ACC) at Old Dominion (0-0, 0-0 SBC)
7 p.m.; ESPNU
Virginia Tech leads series, 2-1
Last meeting: VT, 31-17 (2019)
Head Coaches: Virginia Tech – Brent Pry (0-0 in first season at Virginia Tech and overall)
Old Dominion – Ricky Rahne (6-7 in second season at ODU and overall)

Notes: Brent Pry makes his head coaching debut for the Hokies, and he will be matched against a longtime friend and colleague in Old Dominion counterpart Ricky Rahne • Pry and Rahne worked on the same coaching staffs at Vanderbilt and Penn State, most recently from 2014-19, when Pry was in the midst of an eight-year run as Nittany Lions linebackers coach and defensive coordinator while Rahne manned the other side as PSU quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator • Virginia Tech will make its second trip to ODU and the first since 2018, when the 13th-ranked Hokies were upset 49-35 by the Monarchs at Ballard Stadium • Virginia Tech won 31-17 in the 2019 rematch at Lane Stadium, as QB Ryan Willis completed 16 of 28 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns and rushed eight times for 34 yards and another score • Virginia Tech and ODU are scheduled to meet each of the next 10 seasons, through 2031.

Friday, Sept. 2
Temple (0-0, 0-0 AAC) at Duke (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
7:30 p.m.; ACCN
Duke leads series, 1-0
Last meeting: Duke, 56-27 (2018)
Head Coaches: Duke – Mike Elko (0-0 in first season at Duke and overall)
Temple- Stan Drayton (0-0 in first season at Temple and overall)

Notes: Two long-time assistants make their head coaching debuts as Duke welcomes Temple to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium • Duke’s Mike Elko has spent 18 of his 23 years coaching as a defensive coordinator, including 13 at the FBS level • Temple first-year head coach Stan Drayton has worked with running backs at both the collegiate and pro levels, with a resume that includes stops at Ohio State, three NFL teams and most recently Texas (2017-21) • The teams will be meeting for only the second time and for the first during the regular season • The previous meeting came in the 2018 Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La., where Duke claimed a 56-27 win • QB Daniel Jones keyed the Blue Devils, completing 30 of 41 passes for 423 and five touchdowns • The Blue Devils seek to win their home opener for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons.

Saturday, Sept. 3
Rutgers (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) at Boston College (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
Noon; ACCN
BC leads series, 20-6-1
Last meeting: BC, 30-16 (2019)
Head Coaches: Rutgers – Greg Schiano (76-81 in 14th season at Rutgers and overall)
Boston College – Jeff Hafley (12-11 in third season at Boston College and overall)

Notes: Saturday afternoon’s season opener continues a four-game home-and-home series between the former Big East Conference rivals • Boston College won 30-16 at Rutgers in 2019 and is scheduled to play host to the Scarlet Knights again on Sept. 12, 2026 • Rutgers will then host the final contest of the four-game agreement on Sept. 11, 2027 • Boston College owns an 11-game winning streak in the series and is 13-0-1 in the last 14 meetings since Rutgers’ most recent victory (20-13 in 1991) • RB AJ Dillon led Boston College’s victory over Rutgers in 2019, rushing for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Eagles earned a road win over a Big Ten opponent for the first time since 2003 • The Eagles are seeking to win their football season opener for the sixth consecutive year • Boston College has won nine straight home openers dating back to the 2013 season.

Saturday, Sept. 3
North Carolina (1-0, 0-0 ACC) at Appalachian State (0-0, 0-0 SBC)
Noon; ESPNU
Series tied, 1-1
Last meeting: ASU, 34-31 (2019)
Head Coaches: UNC – Mack Brown (91-63-1 in 14th season at UNC; 266-139-1 in 34th season overall)
Appalachian State – Shawn Clark (20-7 in third full season at Appalachian State and overall)

Notes: North Carolina makes its first-ever football trip to Boone, N.C. • This year’s game is the second of a three-game set • The Mountaineers bagged a 34-31 win at Kenan Stadium in 2019, and the teams are scheduled to meet again in Chapel Hill next season • Appalachian State has periodically played ACC teams over the years, and UNC is the fourth such opponent the Mountaineers have faced since 2015 as a Sun Belt Conference member (also Clemson, Miami and Wake Forest) • UNC’s Mack Brown landed his first head coaching job at Appalachian State in 1983 and coached the Mountaineers to a 6-5 record his lone season in Boone • Darryton Evans rushed for three touchdowns, and Akeem Davis-Gaither blocked a 56- yard field goal attempt on the game’s final play three years ago as Appalachian State prevailed in its first meeting versus UNC in nearly 80 years.

Saturday, Sept. 3

13 NC State (0-0, 0-0 ACC) at East Carolina (0-0, 0-0 AAC)

Noon; ESPN
NC State leads series, 18-13
Last meeting: NCSU, 34-6 (2019)
Head Coaches: NC State – Dave Doeren (64-49 in 10th season at NC State; 87-53 in 12th season overall)
ECU – Mike Houston (14-19 in fourth season at ECU; 94-44 in 12th season overall)

Notes: NC State faces in-state rival East Carolina for the 32nd time and for the 11th time in a football season opener • The Wolfpack has won the last two meetings in the series, outscoring the Pirates by a combined 92-9 in two wins in Raleigh (58-3 in the 2018 regular-season finale and 34-6 in the 2019 opener) • Overall, the teams have split the last 10 head-to-head meetings • East Carolina has won three of four games versus the Wolfpack in Greenville, N.C., including 33-30 in the most recent meeting between the teams at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in 2016 • Redshirt sophomore Matthew McKay starred for the Wolfpack in the last meeting between the teams three years ago, running for two touchdowns and passing for another • McKay completed 25 of 37 passes for 308 yards, becoming only the third quarterback in school history and first in a dozen years to crack the 300-yard mark in his first career start.

Saturday, Sept. 3
Richmond (0-0, 0-0 CAA) at Virginia (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
12:30 p.m.; RSN
Virginia leads series, 29-3-2
Last meeting: UVA, 42-13 (2018)
Head Coaches: Virginia – Tony Elliott (0-0 in first season at UVA and overall)
Richmond – Russ Huesman (24-25 in sixth season at Richmond; 83-62 in 10th season overall)

Notes: Long-time Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott makes his debut as the 41st head coach in Virginia football history as the Cavaliers welcome in-state opponent Richmond • Elliott was part of a 10-year stretch at Clemson in which the Tigers won 10 or more games each season and captured a pair of national titles • This year marks the seventh time the Cavaliers will open their season against the Spiders • Richmond snapped a 10-game losing streak versus Virginia in the 2016 opener, but Virginia turned the tables in 2018 with a 42-13 win as junior college transfer QB Bryce Perkins ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 185 yards and two more scores • The latter stages of the 2018 game featured the collegiate debut of then-freshman QB Brennan Armstrong for Virginia • Armstrong, who completed one of two passes that evening, ranked fourth nationally in total passing yards last season with 4,449.

Saturday, Sept. 3
Bethune-Cookman (0-0, 0-0 SWAC) at #16 Miami (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
3:30 p.m.; ACCN
Miami leads series, 5-0
Last meeting: UM, 63-0 (2019)
Head Coaches: Miami – Mario Cristobal (0-0 in first season at Miami; 62-60 in 12th season overall)
Bethune-Cookman – Terry Sims (36-30 in seventh season at Bethune-Cookman and overall)

Notes: Mario Cristobal makes his head coaching debut for the Hurricanes as they welcome Bethune-Cookman to Miami Gardens • Cristobal, who helped the Hurricanes to national titles as a standout offensive lineman in 1989 and 1991, returns to his alma mater following a successful five-year run at Oregon that included a 12-win season in 2019 and 10 wins last year • His resume also includes seven bowl appearances as a head coach, including five straight with the Ducks each of his years at the helm • Cristobal also logged two earlier stints as a Miami assistant coach, first as a graduate assistant in 1998-2000, then coaching offensive linemen and tight ends from 2004- 06 • This will be the sixth meeting between Miami and Bethune-Cookman, all of which have come since 2011 • The Hurricanes were 63-0 winners the last time the teams met in 2019 as QB Jarren Williams threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

Saturday, Sept. 3
Louisville (0-0, 0-0 ACC) at Syracuse (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
8 p.m.; ACCN
Louisville leads series, 13-7
Last meeting: UL, 41-3 (2021)
Head Coaches: Louisville – Scott Satterfield (18-19 in fourth season at Louisville; 69-43 in 10th overall)
Syracuse – Dino Babers (29-43 in seventh season at Syracuse; 66-59 in 11th season overall)

Notes: The first conference game of the 2022 season will be showcased in prime time on ACC Network as the Orange welcomes Louisville to the JMA Wireless Dome • Louisville has won the last three games in the series and is 7-1 versus the Orange in ACC competition • QB Malik Cunningham threw for four first-half touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Cardinals’ 41-3 win at Louisville last November • The Cardinals hold a 5-3 edge in games played at Syracuse, including a 30-0 victory two years ago • Syracuse won the first three meetings between the schools from 1985 through 1992, but Louisville has won 10 of the last 12 head-to-head matchups • One of Syracuse’s two wins during that span is particularly memorable, however, as the Orange derailed a previously unbeaten Louisville squad ranked No. 10 nationally by a 45-26 score late in the 2012 season.

Sunday, Sept. 4
Florida State (0-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. LSU (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
7:30 p.m.; ABC
FSU leads series, 7-2
Last meeting: FSU, 27-16 (1991)
Head Coaches: Florida State – Mike Norvell (9-13 in third season at FSU; 47-28 in seventh season overall)
LSU- Brian Kelly (0-0 in first season at LSU; 263-96-2 in 32nd season overall)

Notes: A sold-out Superdome and a national ABC television audience provide the setting for Sunday night’s Allstate Louisiana Kickoff • Florida State and LSU will be meeting for the 10th time, but this year’s game will be the first between the programs since the Seminoles’ 27-16 win at Tiger Stadium in 1991 • It will mark the LSU debut of veteran head coach Brian Kelly, who joins the Tigers following 12 seasons at Notre Dame • Sunday night’s contest is part of a two-game series, with the two teams scheduled to meet again on Labor Day weekend on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. • FSU has won four straight against the Tigers en route to building its 7-2 all-time series lead • The series dates back to the 1968 Peach Bowl • FSU and LSU have played seven times in Baton Rouge, once in Tallahassee and once in Atlanta.

Monday, Sept. 5
No. 4 Clemson (0-0, 0-0 ACC) at Georgia Tech (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
7:30 p.m.; ABC
GT leads series, 50-34-2
Last meeting: CU, 14-8 (2021)
Head Coaches: Clemson – Dabo Swinney (150-36 in 15th season at Clemson and overall)
Georgia Tech – Geoff Collins (9-25 in fourth season at Georgia Tech; 24-35 in sixth season overall

Notes: The ACC’s packed Labor Day Football Weekend concludes with Monday night’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff matchup between No. 4 Clemson and Georgia Tech at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Clemson has won the last seven meetings, including last season’s hard fought 14-8 victory in Death Valley • Freshman RB Will Shipley scored both touchdowns for the Tigers, and Clemson used a late defensive stand to fend off the Yellow Jackets • The schools first met in 1898 and 1899 with games at Augusta, Ga., and Greenville, S.C. • Those were the only neutral-site meetings until the 2009 ACC Football Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. • Saturday will mark the 17th time in the last 19 meetings that at least one team has been nationally ranked • Georgia Tech is 44-16-2 all-time versus the Tigers in Atlanta, while Clemson holds a 22-17 edge in ACC games.

Monday, Sept. 6
Louisville (0-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. Ole Miss (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
8 p.m.; ESPN
First meeting
Head Coaches: Louisville – Scott Satterfield (12-12 in second season at Louisville; 63-36 in ninth season overall)
Ole Miss – Lane Kiffin (5-5 in second season at Ole Miss; 66-39 in 10th season overall)

Notes: The ACC’s five days of football to open the 2021 season concludes with Louisville facing Ole Miss in the second Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game of Labor Day weekend • The prime time matchup at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be carried nationally by ESPN and is the only FBS game scheduled for Monday • The Cardinals are making their second appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game after falling to No. 5 Auburn 31-24 to open the 2015 season • The Rebels are also playing in the game for the second time after defeating Boise State 35-13 to open the 2014 campaign • Louisville owns a 56-40-6 all-time record in season openers, including a 1-2 mark at neutral sites • The Cardinals, who will face Ole Miss on the football field for the first time, are 21-39-1 all-time versus SEC opponents • Louisville is 1-1 all-time versus the SEC under current head coach Scott Satterfield, losing to rival Kentucky to close the 2019 regular season before defeating Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl.