This Week in the ACC: Cal vs. UCLA Among Games on Five Straight Days

ACC teams went 4-0 in Week 0 of the college football season.

This week provides greater challenges, starting with Cal’s matchup vs. UCLA on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. In a duel of new coaches, the Bruins are a 1.5-point favorite.

Two other games that will attract national attention: Clemson at No. 11 LSU on Saturday and No. 24 Louisville at No. 9 Ole Miss on Sunday.

Yes, we have ACC action on Sunday — the week before the start of play in the NFL. In fact, ACC teams will play nationally televised games five days in a row, from Thursday through Monday of the Labor Day weekend.

THIS WEEK IN THE ACC

Point spreads by DraftKings

Thursday

Akron (plus-27.5) at Wake Forest, 4 p.m., ACC Network

Jake Dickert, the one-time Washington State coach, went 9-4 as his debut season at Wake last fall, the most wins in a coach’s first season in the program’s 124-year history. Win No. 10 should come decisively.

Colorado (plus-6.5) at Georgia Tech, 5 p.m., ESPN

Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders returns to Atlanta, where he was Prime Time with the NFL’s Falcons and MLB’s Braves. Now in his fourth season at Colorado, his team didn’t live up to the billing at 3-9 last season. Tech is hoping to build off a 9-4 campaign.

Friday

No. 7 Miami (minus-24.5) at Stanford, 6 p.m., ESPN

The Cardinal, which scored a come-from-behind victory over Hawaii in Week 0, will find this game a bit more challenging. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah transferred from Duke, where last season he threw 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions on passes of at least 20 yards, according to The Athletic.

Saturday

New Hampshire (plus-33.5) at Syracuse, 9 a.m., ACC Network

Cal’s Week 2 opponent gets a soft opener at home, a perfect opportunity for quarterback Steve Angeli to test his left Achilles tendon, which he tore in Week 4 last year while leading the nation in passing yards at the time.

Miami-Ohio (plus-16.5) at Pittsburgh, 9:30 a.m., CW Network

Miami has played in the MAC title game three years in a row, but starting quarterback Thomas Gotkowski was injured during fall camp. The RedHawks will go with redshirt David McComb, a transfer from Kansas who has yet to throw a pass in college.

Boston College (plus-7.5) at Cincinnati, 12:30 p.m., Fox

The Eagles are among just five teams who scheduled 11-plus games vs. Power 4 opponents or Notre Dame. That’s a big bite for coach Bill O’Brien’s team, coming off a 2-10 season.

Tulane (plus-7.5) at Duke, 12:30 p.m., ACC Network

Manny Diaz has steered the Blue Devils to nine wins in each of his first two seasons, something no previous Duke coach accomplished. If he keeps the program headed in that direction, fans in Durham may start getting nervous he could become a hot choice for another suitor.

Clemson (plus-10) at No. 11 LSU, 4:30 p.m., ABC

Dabo Swinney, whose team slumped to 7-6 last season, was thinking big picture this week when he referred to the state of college football as “embarrassing.” At issue is the eligibility status of two LSU players who received favorable court rulings that apparently will let them play Saturday, despite having spent time in NFL training camps and despite the SEC declaring such maneuvers in violation of conference rules. The conflict rages on.

VMI (plus-55.5) at Virginia Tech, 4:30 p.m., ACC Network

James Franklin, who was 34-8 as coach at Penn State from 2022 through 2024, was fired by the Nittany Lions after a 3-3 start last season, capped by a one-point home defeat to Northwestern. VA Tech is the beneficiary.

UCLA (minus-1.5) at Cal, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Cal officials reported Thursday morning that just 3,500 tickets remain for Tosh Lupoi’s first game as head coach. They are expecting a sellout.

Sunday

No. 24 Louisville (plus-6.5) at No. 9 Ole Miss, 4:30 p.m., ABC

Louisville’s defense will be tested by the 1-2 punch of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (3,937 passing yards and 22 touchdowns in 2025) and running back Kewan Lacy (1,567 rushing yards and 24 TDs). The school is promoting both as Heisman Trophy candidates.

Monday

No. 19 SMU (minus-3) at Florida State, 4:30 p.m., ESPN

Seems to us that Rhett Lashlee is flying a bit under the radar considering he has led SMU to 31 victories the past three seasons.

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