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ESPN staff
The ACC is ditching divisions for 2023, and that’s setting up a schedule that looks a good bit different from years past.
The league released its 2023 schedule for all 14 teams Monday, highlighted by a showdown between defending champion Clemson and upstart Duke on Labor Day and a September matchup between Clemson and Florida State.
The league announced last year it would cease divisional play in 2023, waving goodbye to the familiar Atlantic and Coastal divisions in favor of a 3-5-5 system which will pit each team against three annual rivals and alternate home-and-home series vs . five other league opponents every two years.
The new approach means rivalry games like Florida State-Miami (Nov. 11 in Tallahassee), NC State-North Carolina (Nov. 25 in Raleigh) and Virginia-Virginia Tech (Nov. 25 in Charlottesville) remain at the forefront, but Georgia Tech will also travel to Wake Forest for the first time since 2010, Louisville will play Virginia Tech for just the second time since joining the ACC in 2014, and Miami and Boston College, once Big East rivals, will play for just the second time since 2012.
The ACC’s nonconference slate gets off to a rollicking start, too, with North Carolina taking on South Carolina, Virginia facing off against Tennessee, Florida State playing LSU and, in what figures to be one of the most confusing games of the year, Miami ( Ohio) travels to Miami (Florida).
ACC teams will go on the road to face off against 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 has strongly recommended league teams cease this scheduling philosophy, as it risks repetitive cache in favor of saving money.
The ACC continues its annual showcase games against Notre Dame as well. The Irish will head to NC State on Sept. 9, play at 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 typically play five games per year against the ACC, but played just four last season and have an extra date in 2023 as a result.
Below you’ll find the schedule for all 14 ACC teams as well as analysis from ESPN reporters David Hale and Andrea Adelson.
Game you’re most looking forward to?
Hale: Florida State and Clemson should both be highly ranked when they face off, which makes that the obvious answer, but I’m more excited about a few games that come with huge storylines and have nothing to do with the standings. Thanks to the transfer portal, there are some, shall we say … awkward dates on the calendar at a few places. Boston College goes to Pitt on Nov. 16, where the Eagles will likely face off against their former QB, Phil Jurkovec. Virginia hosts former QB Brennan Armstrong when NC State comes to town on Sept. 22. But, of course, none of those portal-related grudge matches looms larger than Wake Forest’s trip to South Bend to take on Sam Hartman and the Fighting Irish on Nov. 18. Hartman took Wake to an 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 Wake Forest, and a date with the Deacons will no doubt be incredibly emotional for both parties.
Adelson: Florida State-Clemson is the obvious answer because far more should be at stake when they play this year with expectations they will be the conference’s top-ranked teams. The game comes in Week 4 — Sept. 23 — the first time these teams will play in September since 2014. That also happens to be the last time Florida State beat Clemson. Conference championship game implications (and the College Football Playoff) could be on the line, but remember there are no more divisions. So these two teams could play again in December in the conference title game, which, perhaps, is part of the appeal in scheduling this game so early in the season.
Toughest stretch
Adelson: You could say Virginia has the toughest schedule of any ACC team, but let’s look at the first four games in particular. The Cavaliers have two difficult Power 5 nonconference games, the opener against Tennessee and a road game against Maryland. Sandwiched in between is James Madison, which went 8-3 a year ago. After that, Virginia opens ACC play against NC State on a Friday night. So, in total, the first four opponents on the schedule went a combined 35-15. North Carolina does not have it easy to start the season, either, with games against South Carolina, Appalachian State, Minnesota and Pitt. Then there is Syracuse, which hosts Clemson on Sept. 30 before going on the road to play North Carolina and Florida State.
Hale: Wake Forest has had a habit of getting off to hot starts only to struggle to the finish line, and the 2023 schedule certainly sets up for more of the same. Yes, there’s the big road trip to Clemson that provides the year’s biggest hurdle on Oct. 7, but it’s the final stretch that really raises some alarms. Wake hosts Pitt and Florida State, travels to Duke on short rest for a Thursday night affair, hosts NC State and then goes to Notre Dame. That’s five straight opponents who won at least eight games last season. The good news for Wake is that it will have a soft opening to the schedule to get a new QB ready for the grind ahead. The bad news is, there’s really nowhere to hide once the calendar turns to October.
Who needs a fast start?
Hale: Miami’s first five games set up nicely. The Hurricanes get Miami (Ohio), Texas A&M and Bethune-Cookman at home, then go on the road to face Temple before an off week and a home game against Georgia Tech. Of that group, only the Redhawks made a bowl last season. If the Hurricanes are going to blossom into a real contender under coach Mario Cristobal, they’ll need to be at least 4-1 — and their fans are probably 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 getting blown out at home by Middle Tennessee. The shine hasn’t worn off the Cristobal hire just yet, but after serious changes to both the staff and roster, it’s unlikely Miami fans will tolerate another bad start.
Adelson: Miami is the easy answer here, but I will go with another second-year coach in Brent Pry at Virginia Tech. No one was thrilled in Blacksburg a year ago with a 3-8 record. The opening to the schedule will offer opportunities to show things are different, though, starting with Old Dominion, a team that beat Virginia Tech a year ago. Then comes two Big Ten teams, Purdue, under a new coaching staff, and Rutgers. Perhaps even bigger is going on the road against Marshall, because if anything, Pry must show this team can go on 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: at Louisville
September 30: Virginia
October 7: at Army
October 14: Open
October 21: at Georgia Tech
October 28: UConn
Nov. 3: at Syracuse
Nov. 11: Virginia Tech
Nov. 16: at Pitt
Nov. 24: Miami
September 4: at Duke
September 9: Charleston Southern
September 16: Florida Atlantic
September 23: Florida State
September 30: at Syracuse
October 7: Wake Forest
October 14: Open
October 21: at Miami
Nov. 4: Notre Dame
Nov. 11: Georgia Tech
Nov. 18: North Carolina
Nov. 25: at South Carolina
September 4: Clemson
September 9: Lafayette
September 16: Northwestern
September 23: at UConn
September 30: Notre Dame
October 7: Open
October 14: NC State
October 21: at Florida State
October 28: at Louisville
Nov. 2: Wake Forest
Nov. 11: at North Carolina
Nov. 18: at Virginia
Nov. 25: Pitt
September 3: vs. LSU in Orlando
September 9: Southern Miss
September 16: at Boston College
September 23: at Clemson
September 30: Open
October 7: Virginia Tech
October 14: Syracuse
October 21: Duke
October 28: at Wake Forest
Nov. 4: at Pitt
Nov. 11: Miami
Nov. 18: North Alabama
Nov. 25: at Florida
September 1: vs. Louisville in Atlanta
September 9: SC State
September 16: at Ole Miss
September 23: at Wake Forest
September 30: Bowling Green
October 7: at Miami
October 14: Open
October 21: Boston College
October 28: North Carolina
Nov. 4: at Virginia
Nov. 11: at Clemson
Nov. 18: Syracuse
Nov. 25: Georgia
September 1: vs. Georgia Tech in Atlanta
September 7: Murray State
September 16: at Indiana
September 23: Boston College
September 29: at NC State
October 7: Notre Dame
October 14: at Pitt
October 21: Open
October 28: Duke
Nov. 4: Virginia Tech
Nov. 9: Virginia
Nov. 18: at Miami
Nov. 25: Kentucky
September 1: Miami (Ohio)
September 9: Texas A&M
September 14: Bethune-Cookman
September 23: at Temple
September 30: Open
October 7: Georgia Tech
October 14: at North Carolina
October 21: Clemson
October 28: Virginia
Nov. 4: at NC State
Nov. 11: at Florida State
Nov. 18: Louisville
Nov. 24: at Boston College
September 2: vs. South Carolina in Charlotte
September 9: Appalachian State
September 16: Minnesota
September 23: at Pitt
September 30: Open
October 7: Syracuse
October 14: Miami
October 21: Virginia
October 28: at Georgia Tech
Nov. 4: Campbell
Nov. 11: Duke
Nov. 18: at Clemson
Nov. 25: at NC State
September 2: at UConn
September 9: Notre Dame
September 16: VMI
September 22: at Virginia
September 29: Louisville
October 7: Marshall
October 14: at Duke
October 21: Open
October 28: Clemson
Nov. 4: Miami
Nov. 11: at Wake Forest
Nov. 18: at Virginia Tech
Nov. 25: North Carolina
September 2: Wofford
September 9: Cincinnati
September 16: at West Virginia
September 23: North Carolina
September 30: at Virginia Tech
October 7: Open
October 14: Louisville
October 21: at Wake Forest
October 28: at Notre Dame
Nov. 4: Florida State
Nov. 11: vs. Syracuse in New York
Nov. 16: Boston College
Nov. 25: at Duke
September 2: Colgate
September 9: Western Michigan
September 16: at Purdue
September 23: Army
September 30: Clemson
October 7: at North Carolina
October 14: at Florida State
October 21: Open
October 26: at Virginia Tech
Nov. 3: Boston College
Nov. 11: vs. Pitt in New York
Nov. 18: at Georgia Tech
Nov. 25: Wake Forest
September 2: vs. Tennessee in Nashville
September 9: James Madison
September 16: at Maryland
September 22: NC State
September 30: at Boston College
October 7: William & Mary
October 14: Open
October 21: at North Carolina
October 28: at Miami
Nov. 4: Georgia Tech
Nov. 9: at Louisville
Nov. 18: Duke
Nov. 25: Virginia Tech
September 2: Old Dominion
September 9: Purdue
September 16: at Rutgers
September 23: at Marshall
September 30: Pitt
October 7: at Florida State
October 14: Wake Forest
October 21: Open
October 26: Syracuse
Nov. 4: at Louisville
Nov. 11: at Boston College
Nov. 18: NC State
Nov. 25: at Virginia
Aug. 31: Elon
September 9: Vanderbilt
September 16: at Old Dominion
September 23: Georgia Tech
September 30: Open
October 7: at Clemson
October 14: at Virginia Tech
October 21: Pitt
October 28: Florida State
Nov. 2: at Duke
Nov. 11: NC State
Nov. 18: at Notre Dame
Nov. 25: at Syracuse