Four ACC teams face Power 5 opponents and three of those games are on the road – Duke at Northwestern (Saturday, noon/FS1), Wake Forest at Vanderbilt (Noon/SECN) and Virginia at Illinois (Saturday, 4 p.m./ESPNU).
The lone Power 5 matchup at an ACC school is Tennessee at Pitt (Saturday, 3:30 p.m./ABC). There are four games against Group of 5/Independent opponents this weekend and three against FCS competition.
Week 2 Preview
The action begins Friday night when Louisville travels to Orlando to face UCF (Friday, 7:30 p.m./ESPN2). Last year – also on a Friday night – the Cardinals’ Jaylen Alderman returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown with 13 seconds remaining for a 42-35 victory. Louisville and UCF have met three previous times on the gridiron with the Cardinals holding a 2-1 advantage.
Duke and Northwestern will be meeting for the 22nd time since the series began in 1985. The Blue Devils’ 30-23 win in Durham last season was their third straight versus the Wildcats. This is the second game of a four-year home-and-home set between the Blue Devils and Wildcats, and Duke’s first road game under first-year head coach Mike Elko.
Reigning ACC Atlantic Division Champion Wake Forest plays its first road game of the year after knocking off VMI, 44-10, last weekend. The Deacs received a solid effort from under center from QB Mitch Griffis who threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start. On Sept. 6, Wake Forest announced that QB Sam Hartman – who missed the first game of the year with a non-football medical issue – has been medically cleared and is available to play this weekend.
In one of the marquee matchups of the early season, No. 17 Pitt looks to improve to 2-0 when it plays host to No. 24 Tennessee in the series known as “The Johnny Majors Classic.” Majors coached at both schools. This is Tennessee’s first visit to Pittsburgh and marks the first time Pitt has ever hosted an SEC team. It is Tennessee’s first road game against an ACC team since losing at Georgia Tech in 1986.
After securing its first-ever series win versus the Illini last season in Charlottesville, Virginia is set to make the return trip to Champaign on Saturday. The Cavaliers rolled to a 42-14 victory in last season’s meeting as QB Brennan Armstrong completed 27 of 36 passes for 405 yards and five touchdowns.
With both teams looking to bounce back from season-opening losses, Boston College travels to Virginia Tech for an important early-season conference contest. The game kicks off in prime time and will be televised nationally by ACC Network. Virginia Tech and Boston College have met at least once every year since both became ACC members. The Eagles have won three of the last four meetings, including last season’s 17-3 win at Chestnut Hill.
Week 1 recap
The ACC is 10-2 against non-conference competition following week one of the 2022 season. That matches the ACC’s previous high for most wins through the first week of the season, accomplished three previous times in 2010, 2015 and 2016.
The ACC finished 2-1 vs. Power 5 opponents, including Florida State’s 24-23 win over LSU and Pitt’s 38-31 win over West Virginia. Both games had dramatic finishes. Florida State blocked an extra point with no time remaining in regulation to secure the victory. Pitt captured the “Backyard Brawl” after M.J. Devonshire picked off a pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown in the closing minutes.
Miami (70) and North Carolina (63) were two of six teams nationally to score 60 or more points in week one.
Six ACC games were decided by one posession in the first week, including three games by one point, one by two points, one by three points and one by seven points.
The 124 points scored in the North Carolina (63) at Appalachian State (61) game on Sept. 3 was the third-highest scoring game in ACC history.
Streaks
Clemson’s current seven-game win streak is the longest of any Power 5 school and is the second-longest in the nation behind Louisiana (14). Clemson also has the nation’s longest home win streak at 34 games. NC State and Wake Forest are tied for the 10th longest current home streak, each winning their last 10 games at home.
Pitt has won six consecutive road games, which is the second-longest in the country behind Georgia (7).
ACC in the Top 25
Five ACC teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 poll (Sept. 6). The five teams are the second-most of any conference. No. 5 Clemson leads the way and is joined by No. 15 Miami, No. 17 Pitt, No. 18 NC State and No. 23 Wake Forest. Florida State and North Carolina also received votes.
No. 4 Clemson leads a group of five ACC teams ranked among the top 25 of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll. The Tigers are joined by No. 13 NC State, No. 14 Pitt, No. 16 Miami and No. 21 Wake Forest. The ACC’s five ranked teams are second-most among all conferences. Florida State, Syracuse and North Carolina also received votes.
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