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What do we know about ACC Football after Week 0? Still not much

acc football NC State thought it had a team that could contend in the ACC this year. Maybe not even Bill Belichick thought he could get North Carolina near contention.

Florida State fans probably reaffirmed their thinking on Mike Norvell.

Stanford played Hawaii, and somehow that involves the ACC.

What do we know after Week 0?

Meh, still not much.

Virginia looked like a contender


Virginia’s 34-8 win over NC State on Saturday didn’t surprise me, but it did, apparently, surprise the rest of the media – the ACC media tabbed the ‘Hoos to finish sixth in the 17-team ACC in 2026 when they voted last month.

I liked the game plan from coach Tony Elliott and his staff on offense, which kept things as vanilla as you will ever see – UVA ran the ball on 57 of its 68 snaps – but it’s not going to be that easy each week going forward.

I’d be worried about the lack of depth at wideout, but other than that, this squad looks like a surefire contender for a return to Charlotte, and contention for a CFP berth.

UNC … gets a win


That Carolina-TCU game sure was something.

It was 10-10 at the end of the first, and the two teams combined for 266 yards of total offense.

The final three quarters: UNC scored a safety and kicked a field goal, and the two teams, combined, had 337 yards.

For the folks who have a lot of baby blue in their wardrobe, it’s a win.

The North Carolina offense had 322 yards, averaged 3.1 yards per rushing attempt, was 3-of-11 on third downs.

They didn’t lose 48-14, like they did in this game a year ago.

Florida State pulls away, eventually


FSU, in its 34-17 win over New Mexico State on Saturday night, didn’t look like a team that will keep its head coach employed into November.

The defense was, fine: NMSU had a net 47 yards on the ground, and 319 total yards.

The ‘Noles ran for 217 yards, and the new QB, Ashton Daniels, was 17-for-27 for 202 yards, with a pick.

Next week: FSU hosts SMU, in the annual ACC Monday night game on Labor Day.

That one’s a must-win game pretty much coming out of the gate.

Games to pay attention in Week 1


  • Colorado at Georgia Tech, Thursday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • #7 Miami at Stanford, Friday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • Tulane at Duke, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACCN
  • Clemson at #11 LSU, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
  • UCLA at Cal, Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • #24 Louisville at #9 Ole Miss, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
  • #19 SMU at FSU, Monday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

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