Around the ACC: Week 1
Before Florida State kicks off in New Orleans on Sept. 4 for a matchup against LSU, 11 of the other 13 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) programs will have already finished their season openers.
READ MORE: Florida State Seminoles release depth chart for LSU Tigers
Here is everything you need to know about the conference schedule for this week.
Atlantic
No. 22 Wake Forest vs. VMI - Sept. 1, 7:30 p.m.
The Demon Deacons are without redshirt junior quarterback Sam Hartman, who is out indefinitely with a non-related football issue. However, Wake Forest is coming off an 11-3 season in 2021 and has multiple starters returning at wide receiver and offensive line. Sophomore Michael Kern is expected to start in replacement of Hartman.
East Carolina vs. No. 13 NC State - Sept. 3, Noon
Redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary (35 touchdowns five interceptions) returns for head coach Dave Doeren, who led NC State to nine wins in 2021. They defeated Clemson, but failed to punch their ticket to the ACC Championship after losing to Wake Forest in Week 11.
East Carolina went 7-5 in 2021, but won four of its final five games and has home field advantage versus the Wolfpack.
Boston College vs. Rutgers - Sept. 3, Noon
The Eagles are one of three ACC teams (Pittsburgh, Florida State) opening the regular season versus another Power-Five program. The duo of graduate student quarterback Phil Jurkovec and senior wide receiver Zay Flowers offer an explosive pairing for Boston College through the air.
In its third season under head coach Greg Schiano, Rutgers is trending upward after increasing its win total to five in 2021 (after three in 2020). The Scarlet Knights haven't defeated Boston College since 1991.
Syracuse vs. Louisville - Sept. 3, 8 p.m.
The first ACC divisional game of the season is between the Cardinals and Orange. Louisville won last year's matchup 41-3.
Redshirt senior quarterback Malik Cunningham is entering his fourth season as the Louisville starter after throwing for a career-high 2,841 yards and 20 touchdowns a year ago.
Meanwhile, Syracuse's offense relies on junior running back Sean Tucker, who rushed for 1,496 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021.
Cross Divisional
Georgia Tech vs. No. 4 Clemson - Sept. 5, 8 p.m.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney lost vital pieces this offseason in offensive coordinator Tony Elliott (Virginia) and defensive coordinator Brent Venables (Oklahoma). However, after a 10-3 season, Swinney and the Tigers are expected by many to return to the ACC Championship behind a defense led by junior defensive end Myles Murphy, junior defensive lineman Bryan Breese and junior linebacker Trenton Simpson.
Georgia Tech lost its lead running back in Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama), but returns quarterback Jeff Sims (3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns) behind center. Since head coach Geoff Collins arrived in 2019, the Yellow Jackets are 7-18 against conference opponents.
Coastal
No. 17 Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia - Sept. 1, 7 p.m.
The Backyard Brawl returns to the college football stage after being absent for over a decade. Pittsburgh holds the series lead 61-40-3, but West Virginia won the last three matchups before the series halted in 2011.
Pittsburgh senior quarterback Kedon Slovis is squaring off with his former teammate and West Virginia junior quarterback JT Daniels. The two were teammates together at USC in 2019 before Slovis replaced Daniels as the starter (due to Daniels' injury) and Daniels left for Georgia.
Old Dominion vs. Virginia Tech - Sept. 2, 7 p.m.
The Hokies are entering a new era under first-year head coach Brent Pry, who previously served as the defensive coordinator at Penn State (2016-21). Virginia Tech hasn't won the ACC since 2010 and won the Coastal since 2016.
For Old Dominion, they're familiar with hosting the Hokies. They upset Virginia Tech in 2018 at S.B. Ballard Stadium and have the opportunity to do it again four years later.
Duke vs. Temple - Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m.
Both of these programs went 3-9 in 2021, but Blue Devil fans have turned the page after the hire of head coach Mike Elko. The former Texas A&M defensive coordinator is facing a rebuild after Duke achieved its first winless conference season since 2007 last season.
Appalachian State vs. North Carolina (1-0) - Sept. 3, Noon
In their 56-24 win over Florida A&M Aug. 27, the Tar Heels put up 608 total yards offensively. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye tossed five touchdowns and has junior wide receiver Josh Downs (nine receptions, 78 yards, and two touchdowns) at his disposal.
Appalachian State went 10-4 last season and played Miami, an ACC opponent, to a 25-23 final score. The Mountaineers defeated North Carolina 34-31 the last time they met in 2019.
Virginia vs. Richmond - Sept. 3, 12:30 p.m.
This game marks the head coaching debut for Tony Elliott. He has one of the more experienced quarterbacks in the conference in Brennan Armstrong, who threw for 31 touchdowns in 2021 and offers explosiveness through the air and with his feet.
No. 16 Miami vs Bethune-Cookman - Sept. 3, 3:30 p.m.
The Hurricanes made a splash this offseason by hiring head coach Mario Cristobal away from Oregon. The Hurricanes finished 7-5 in 2021, but have higher expectations under Cristobal, who led Oregon to nine wins in his first season with the Ducks. Additionally, Miami's offense is led by redshirt junior quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who was named the 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year.
READ MORE: Former Penn State running back enrolls at Florida State
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the season.
