CLEMSON — Georgia Tech kicked off the 2024 college football season in a big way with a win over No. 10 Florida State in Dublin, Ireland last weekend.
With the top-10 win, the Yellow Jackets moved to 5-0 against nationally ranked ACC opponents under head coach Brent Key. The top-10 win was the first for the Yellow Jackets since they defeated No. 9 Florida State on October 24, 2015, in what has been named the “Miracle on Techwood Drive.”
Will there be any miracles for ACC teams this week, such as No. 14 Clemson’s bash with top-ranked Georgia in Atlanta? The Tigers are 2-6 all-time against the nation’s No. 1 ranked team, including wins in two of their last three circumstances, which all came in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Thursday
Western Carolina at No. 24 NC State, 7 p.m. ET; ACCN
Latest Line: NCSU -32.5
Notes: NC State is leading the series 7-0 with the last meeting in 2019 resulting in a 41-0 victory. Three-time Sun Belt player of the year Grayson McCall will be NC State’s quarterback. The Pack are 8-0 when opening with a home game under Head Coach Dave Doeren.
North Carolina A&T at Wake Forest, 7 p.m. ET; ACCNX
Latest Line: N/A
Notes: Wake Forest looks to bounce back from a 4-8 season in 2023. Since the start of the 2016 season, the Demon Deacons boast the third-most wins in the ACC, not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season. With 53 wins, Wake Forest only trails Clemson (85) and NC State (55). The Aggies were 1-10 in the 2023 campaign.
North Carolina at Minnesota, 8 p.m. ET; FOX
Latest Line: UNC -2
Notes: Mack Brown is one of three active head coaches to have won a national championship. The Tar Heels began the 2023 season 6-0 before dropping five of their final seven contests including the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Minnesota went 6-7 in 20223 including the 3-6 record in Big Ten play.
Friday
TCU at Stanford, 10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN
Latest Line: TCU -10
Notes: Stanford is making their ACC debut; the Cardinals went 3-9 in its final season as a Pac-12 member. This is the first home-and-home between Stanford and TCU.
Elon at Duke, 7:30 p.m. ET; ACC Network
Latest Line: N/A
Notes: Manny Diaz is looking to begin his first season with Duke, Diaz posted a 21-15 record in three seasons at Miami. Texas transfer Maalik Murphy has been named the starting quarterback for the Blue Devils. Elon posted a 6-5 record in the 2023 campaign including winning three of their final four games.
Saturday
No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia, Noon ET; ABC
Latest Line: UGA -13.5
Notes: Clemson has won 12 of its last 14 season openers and boasts a 95-24-8 record all-time in season debuts. Clemson and Alabama are the only programs in the country with active streaks of at least 13 consecutive seasons with at least nine wins. Georgia is 8-0 in season openers during the Kirby Smart era. The Bulldogs last season-opening loss came when No. 8 Clemson upset No. 5 Georgia, 38-35, in Clemson.
Kent State at Pitt, Noon ET; ESPNU
Latest Line: PITT -24.5
Notes: Pitt is a perfect 7-0 against Kent State, the most recent meeting being in 2003 and was a 43-3 victory in favor of the Panthers. 2024 marks Pat Narduzzi’s 10th season leading Pitt. His 65 career victories rank second in school history. Under Narduzzi, the Panthers have defeated at least one top-25 team in eight consecutive seasons.
Austin Peay at Louisville, Noon ET; ACC Network
Latest Line: N/A
Notes: After appearing in the ACC Football Championship Game in 2023, Louisville returns 11 players who made at least five starts last season. Last year, the Governors went 9-3 overall and fell to No. 18 Chattanooga in the FCS Playoffs. Austin Peay went a perfect 6-0 through UAC play.
No. 19 Miami at Florida, 3:30 p.m. ET; ABC
Latest Line: Mia -2.5
Notes: Miami looks to snap Florida’s NCAA-best 33-game home opener winning streak on Saturday. The Gators’ streak dates back to 1989. Head coaches Billy Napier and Mario Cristobal were together for four seasons under Nick Saban at Alabama. Quarterback Cam Ward (Houston Transfer) looks to revitalize the Miami offense.
Virginia Tech (0-0, 0-0 ACC) at Vanderbilt (0-0, 0-0 SEC) Noon ET; ESPN
Latest Line: VT -13
Notes: Virginia Tech enters the season receiving votes in the preseason AP Poll. The Hokies look to crack the top 25 for the first time since week three of the 2021 season. Saturday will be the 10th meeting all-time between the Hokies and the Commodores. Vanderbilt leads the series 3-2 in Nashville with the Hokies winning each of the last two contests. The two teams haven’t met since 1989.
Ohio at Syracuse, 3:30 p.m. ET; ACC Network
Latest Line: SYR -17.5
Notes: Fran Brown is setting up to lead the Orange in his first season. Brown comes from Georgia where he was the defensive back coach on the 2022 national championship team. Ohio posted a 10-3 record last year, including a 6-2 mark in MAC play. In addition to a 41-21 victory over Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Richmond at Virginia, 6 p.m. ET; ACCNX
Latest Line: UVA -19
Notes: Anthony Colandrea will be Virginia’s starting QB for the season opener. Colandrea played in eight games last season as a true freshman, setting the school’s freshman single season records for completions (154), passing yards (1,958) & total offense (2,183). Richmond posted a 9-4 record in 2023, reaching the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
UC Davis at Cal, 8 p.m. ET; ACCNX
Latest Line: CAL -20.5
Notes: Cal is making their debut with the ACC conference. The Bears were 6-7 during their final campaign as Pac-12 members. Preseason All-American running back Jaydn Ott will be the focal point of the Cal offense. Ott has logged more than 2,200 yards throughout his two-year college career.
Houston Christian at SMU (1-0), 8 p.m. ET; ACCNX
Latest Line: N/A
Notes: SMU won its first contest as a member of the ACC, 29- 24, over Nevada in Week 0. It also marked the Mustangs’ first-ever win in Reno. SMU outscored Nevada 16-0 in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs are now 10-1 in their last 11 contests and have won six consecutive road games and six consecutive season openers. SMU completed passes to eight different receivers in the victory. At least seven different receivers have caught a pass in 18 straight games for the Mustangs.
Georgia State at Georgia Tech (1-0), 8 p.m. ET; ACC Network
Latest Line: GT -21
Notes: Georgia Tech defeated No. 10 Florida State, 24-21, in its season opener, moving to a perfect 5-0 under Brent Key against ACC opponents ranked in the AP top 25. It was GT’s first top-10 win since 2015, which was also over FSU. GT averaged 5.3 yards per carry, totaling 190 yards on the ground in the win. Jamal Haynes led with 75 yards, while quarterback Haynes King added 54 yards. With a 1-0 record in conference play, GT currently sits atop the ACC standings.
Monday
Boston College at No. 10 Florida State (0-1, 0-1 ACC), 7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN
Latest Line: FSU -16.5
Notes: Former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien begins his first season leading Boston College during the Labor Day showdown. Florida State fell in its season opener, 24-21, to Georgia Tech on a last-second field goal, snapping a 12-game winning streak in ACC play.
O’Brien posted a 52-48 career record with four trips to the playoffs during his NFL career. D.J. Uiagalelei completed 19-of-27 passes for 193 yards in his first game at FSU.
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