Week 1 of the college football season is about to get started, and some teams and leagues have scheduled much harder than others. In the Big Ten, for example, things start with a bang with Nebraska and Minnesota, but after that, there’s a real drop-off. Ditto for the Big 12, which has just two teams on the road: West Virginia at Penn State and Texas Tech at Wyoming.
But in the ACC, it’s a little different. Multiple teams chose to leave campus and play, and some are playing name opponents. Virginia goes to play Tennessee in Nashville, North Carolina meets South Carolina in Charlotte and even though Florida State’s not on the road, it’s meeting LSU in Orlando, not Tallahassee.
That’s admirable, but it also means the ACC is under the microscope here. Here’s why this week matters.
Standing Up to the SEC
Inside the SEC, the league is seen as the gold standard of college football. Outside the SEC, the league is seen as Georgia, Alabama and maybe LSU, then 11 other teams living off those three teams’ reputations. Case in point: Even as Florida State became an ACC also-ran, it still won eight of 12 over Florida. Until losing last year, Clemson had ripped off seven straight against South Carolina. Even Georgia Tech had its moments against Georgia, at least until Kirby Smart showed up in Athens.
Yet the reputation of being a lesser league persists, and the ACC doesn’t get many chances to change that. Virginia’s likely overmatched against Tennessee, but North Carolina and Florida State could score some impressive wins. Doing so could really change the narrative.
Power vs. Up-and-Comer
Clemson faces an interesting road contest, as the Tigers face Duke on national television. Since expansion placed the schools in different divisions, they’ve only met four times in 18 years. In that time, Duke hasn’t come within 20 points of Clemson, but the Blue Devils did win nine games last season. Losing a competitive game to Clemson would make clear Mike Elko has a program building in Durham and the ACC is building its depth. If the league is going to thrive, it needs a solid mid-tier.
Avoiding the Stunner
Give credit to NC State for scheduling a game at resurgent Connecticut. Now the Wolfpack have to make sure they don’t lose that game. The same holds true for Virginia Tech, which faces an underrated Old Dominion that has picked the lock on the Hokies’ former dominance of Virginia’s talent-rich Tidewater Region.
Neither game will be easy, but a loss would be disastrous. State’s expected to be a top-half team this year, and Virginia Tech needs to see positive momentum. Taking a loss here would put a serious dent in those aspirations.