Every game for every team in 2023

The ACC is dropping divisions for 2023, and that has made a schedule that looks a little different than years past.

The league released its 2023 schedule for all 14 teams Monday, highlighted by the showdown between defending champion Clemson and rookie Duke on Labor Day and the September game between Clemson and Florida State.

The league announced last year that it would discontinue conference play in 2023, waving goodbye to the familiar Atlantic and Coast divisions in favor of a 3-5-5 system that will pit each team against three annual opponents and an alternate series at home vs. … five more competitors in the league every two years.

The new approach means that rivalry games like Florida State-Miami (November 11 in Tallahassee), North Carolina State-North Carolina (November 25 in Raleigh) and Virginia Tech (November 25 in Charlottesville) stay ahead, but Georgia Tech will also travel to Wake Forest for the first time since 2010, Louisville will play Virginia Tech for only the second time since joining the ACC in 2014, and Miami and Boston College, once Big East rivals, will play Miami and Boston College, once Big East rivals, for only the second time since 2012.

The ACC’s non-conference statute also got off to a shaky start, with North Carolina facing South Carolina, Virginia against Tennessee, Florida State playing LSU, and in what numbers it would be one of the most confusing games of the year, Miami (Ohio) traveling to Miami (Florida).

ACC teams on the road will take on teams outside the Power 5 six times in 2023. The league played 10 road games outside the Power 5 last year, losing three. Commissioner Jim Phillips strongly recommended that league teams discontinue this scheduling philosophy, as it risked redundancy in favor of saving money.

The ACC also continues its annual exhibition games against Notre Dame as well. The Irish will head to NC State on Sept. 9, play Duke on Sept. 30 and Louisville on Oct. 7, host Pitt on Oct. 28, travel to Clemson on Nov. 4 and host Wake Forest on Nov. 18. The Irish normally play five games a year against the ACC, but they only played four games last season and have an overtime date in 2023 as a result.

Below, you’ll find the schedule for all 14 ACC teams as well as analysis from ESPN correspondents David Hale and Andrea Adelson.

Which game are you most looking forward to?

cardamom: Florida State and Clemson should both be highly ranked when they face off, which makes that answer obvious, but I’m more excited about some games that come with huge action and have nothing to do with ranking. Thanks to Transfer Portal, there are some, shall we say…awkward dates on the calendar in a few places. Boston College goes to Pitt on November 16, as the Eagles likely face off against the former QB, Phil Gurkovich. Virginia hosts the former QB Brennan Armstrong When NC State comes to town on September 22nd. But, of course, none of those Gate-related grudges loom larger than Wake Forest’s trip to South Bend to take on Sam Hartman and Fighting Irish on November 18. Hartman took Wake to the ACC Championship Game in 2021 and left the school after five years as the ACC’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns. He’s been synonymous with the Wake Forest, and there’s no doubt that a date with the Deacons will be incredibly emotional for both parties.

Adelson: Clemson Florida is the obvious answer because so much more ought to They will be on the line when they play this year with expectations that they will be the highest ranked team in the conference. The game comes on Week 4 – September 23 – and it’s the first time these teams have played in September since 2014. It just so happens to be the last time Florida beat Clemson. The implications for the conference championship game (and the college football playoff game) may be at stake, but remember, there are no more divisions. So those two teams could play again in December in the conference title game, which is probably part of the appeal in scheduling this game so early in the season.

Harder stretch

Adelson: You could argue that Virginia has the toughest schedule of any ACC team, but let’s take a look at the first four games in particular. The Cavaliers have two tough Power 5 non-conference games, the opener against Tennessee and the road game against Maryland. Located in the middle is James Madison, who went 8-3 a year ago. Next, Virginia opened the ACC game against NC State on Friday night. So, in total, the first four opponents in the schedule went 35 to 15. It’s not easy to start the season in North Carolina, either, with games against South Carolina, Appalachian State, Minnesota, and Pitt. Then there’s Syracuse, which hosts Clemson on Sept. 30 before going on the road to play North Carolina and Florida State.

cardamom: Wake Forest is used to getting off to hot starts only to struggle to the finish line, and the 2023 schedule is certainly set for more of the same. Yes, there’s a big road trip to Clemson that delivers the biggest hurdle of the year on Oct. 7, but it’s the final stretch that really raises some alarms. Wake Pitt hosts Florida State, travels to Duke on a short break for Thursday night, hosts NC State and then goes to Notre Dame. That’s five competitors in a row that won at least eight games last season. The good news for Wake is that he’ll easily open up the schedule to get a new QB ready to grind in the future. The bad news is that there is nowhere to hide once the calendar turns to October.

Who needs a quick start?

cardamom: The first five games in Miami are well set up. The Hurricanes get Miami (Ohio), Texas A&M, and Bethune-Cookman at home, then hit the road to face Temple before a week off and game at Georgia Stadium. Of that group, only the Redhawks made the bowl last season. If the Hurricanes are to blossom into true contenders under head coach Mario Cristobal, they’ll need to be at least 4-1 — and maybe their fans are thinking 5-0 — heading into a Week 7 trip to Chapel Hill. But that may be easier said than done. It was just a year ago when Miami laid an egg against the inept Aggies before being blown up at home by Middle Tennessee. The brilliance of Cristobal’s hire hasn’t waned yet, but after serious personnel and roster changes, Miami fans are unlikely to tolerate another poor start.

Adelson: Miami is the easy answer here, but I’d go with another sophomore coach at Brent Pry at Virginia Tech. Nobody was happy in Blacksburg a year ago with a 3-8 record. The openness of the schedule will provide opportunities to show things differently, though, starting with Old Dominion, the team that beat Virginia Tech a year ago. Then come two Big Ten teams, Purdue, under a new coaching staff, and Rutgers. It’s probably even bigger on the road against Marshall, because if anything, Pry has to show that this team can hit the road and beat a Group of 5 team after what happened in 2022.

September 2: Northern Illinois
September 9: Holy Cross
September 16: Florida State
September 23: in Louisville
September 30: Virginia
October 7: In the army
October 14th: Open
October 21: at Georgia Tech
October 28: Okun
November 3: in Syracuse
November 11: Virginia Tech
November 16: In Beth
November 24: Miami

Sept. 4: In Duke
Sept. 9: Charleston Southern
Sept. 16: Florida Atlantic
September 23: Florida State
September 30: in Syracuse
October 7: Wake Forest
October 14th: Open
October 21: in Miami
November 4: Notre Dame
November 11: Georgia Tech
November 18th: North Carolina State
November 25: in South Carolina

Sept. 4: Clemson
September 9: Lafayette
Sept. 16: Northwest
September 23: at UConn
September 30: Notre Dame
October 7th: Open
October 14th: North Carolina State
October 21: in Florida
October 28: in Louisville
November 2: Wake Forest
November 11th: in North Carolina
November 18: in Virginia
November 25: Pete

September 3: vs. LSU in Orlando
September 9: Miss Southern
September 16: at Boston College
Sept. 23: In Clemson
September 30: Open
Oct. 7: Virginia Tech
October 14: Syracuse
October 21: The Duke
October 28: in Wake Forest
November 4: In Beth
November 11: Miami
November 18: North Alabama
November 25: in Florida

September 1: vs. Louisville in Atlanta
Sept. 9: SC State
September 16: At Ole Miss
September 23: in Wake Forest
September 30: Bowling Green
October 7: in Miami
October 14th: Open
October 21: Boston College
October 28th: ​​North Carolina
November 4: in Virginia
November 11: In Clemson
November 18: Syracuse
November 25: Georgia

September 1: vs Georgia Tech in Atlanta
September 7: Murray State
September 16: In Indiana
September 23: Boston College
September 29: in North Carolina
October 7: Notre Dame
October 14: In Beth
October 21: Open
October 28: The Duke
November 4: Virginia Tech
November 9: Virginia
November 18: in Miami
November 25: Kentucky

September 1: Miami (Ohio)
September 9: Texas A&M
September 14th: Bethune Cookman
Sept. 23: At Temple
September 30: Open
Oct. 7: Georgia Tech
October 14th: in North Carolina
Oct. 21: Clemson
October 28: Virginia
November 4: in North Carolina
November 11: in Florida
November 18: Louisville
November 24: at Boston College

September 2: vs. South Carolina at Charlotte
September 9: Appalachian State
September 16th: Minnesota
September 23: In Beth
September 30: Open
October 7: Syracuse
October 14: Miami
October 21: Virginia
October 28: at Georgia Tech
November 4: Campbell
November 11: The Duke
November 18: In Clemson
November 25: in North Carolina

September 2: at UConn
September 9: Notre Dame
September 16: Virginia Military Institute
September 22nd: in Virginia
Sept. 29: Louisville
October 7: Marshall
October 14th: at Duke
October 21: Open
Oct. 28: Clemson
November 4: Miami
November 11: in Wake Forest
November 18: at Virginia Tech
November 25: North Carolina

September 2: Wofford
September 9: Cincinnati
September 16th: in West Virginia
September 23: North Carolina State
September 30: at Virginia Tech
October 7th: Open
October 14: Louisville
October 21: in Wake Forest
October 28: at Notre Dame
November 4: Florida State
November 11: vs. Syracuse, New York
November 16: Boston College
November 25: In Duke

Sept. 2: Colgate
September 9: Western Michigan
Sept. 16: At Purdue
September 23: Army
Sept. 30: Clemson
October 7th: in North Carolina
October 14th: in Florida
October 21: Open
October 26: at Virginia Tech
November 3: Boston College
November 11: Opposite Pete in New York
November 18: at Georgia Tech
November 25: Wake Forest

September 2: against Tennessee in Nashville
September 9: James Madison
September 16th: in Maryland
Sept. 22: North Carolina State
September 30: at Boston College
October 7: William & Mary
October 14th: Open
October 21: in North Carolina
October 28: in Miami
November 4: Georgia Tech
November 9: in Louisville
November 18: The Duke
November 25: Virginia Tech

September 2: Old Dominion
Sept. 9: Purdue
September 16: at Rutgers
September 23: In Marshall
September 30: Pete
October 7: in Florida
October 14th: Wake Forest
October 21: Open
October 26: Syracuse
November 4: in Louisville
November 11: at Boston College
November 18: North Carolina State
November 25: in Virginia

August 31: Elon
September 9: Vanderbilt
September 16: At Old Dominion
Sept. 23: Georgia Tech
September 30: Open
October 7: in Clemson
October 14: at Virginia Tech
October 21: Pete
October 28: Florida State
November 2: in Duke
November 11: North Carolina State
November 18: at Notre Dame
November 25: in Syracuse