ACC Rooting Guide: Week 4

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It’s been a rough week for Canes fans. Losing Marty Brown and Josh Moore for the season sucks. They will absolutely be missed. Like every other college football prognosticator has said, Miami’s goal for tomorrow night should be to avoid injuries and getting backups and underclassmen meaningful game reps. Meanwhile, there are ten non-Miami games involving ACC teams.

Let’s do some rooting.

Matchup of the week

Clemson @ Cal – 9/25 at 10:30 PM EST, TV – ESPN

I am very interested in this game as a Miami fan. Clemson should be the first true test of the 2026 season for the Canes, all due respect to Wake Forest. Traveling across the country the week before hosting a top six ranked team is not ideal, but that is conference play in modern college football. As much fun as it would be to see Cal’s fans fired up late on a Friday night, I still want the Tigers coming off a win for next Saturday’s showdown. Let’s go Clemson.

Wake Forest @ #16 Louisville – 9/26 at 12:00 PM EST, TV – ESPN

I will also echo what several, not all, college football prognosticators have said for the past week: Wake Forest is a good football team. No, the roster talent is not on the level of Miami’s, but it’s a more than solid team. Demon Deacons coach Jake Dickert will be a hot name this offseason. I think Wake could give Louisville some problems. That said, the Cardinals are humming on offense right now. They want to play Miami in Charlotte for the conference championship. I’m all for it. Let’s go Louisville.

Virginia Tech @ Boston College – 9/26 at 12:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

The Hokies took care of Maryland last week, while BC has a two-game winning streak after victories over Rutgers and Maine. Woo! Eagles fans are fired up! As long as coach Franklin doesn’t let his Va Tech team look ahead to their matchup with Pitt next Friday night, this should be a solid 4-0 start for Franklin in Blacksburg. I know I want to see two undefeated ACC teams next Friday night on ESPN. Let’s go Virginia Tech.

Bucknell @ Pitt – 9/26 at 12:00 PM EST, TV – ACC Extra

Damnit. Now I have to root for Pitt if I want there to be a matchup of undefeated ACC teams next Friday night. Whatever. Bucknell never stood a chance, did they? Did they?! Let’s go Pitt.

Central Arkansas @ FSU – 9/26 at 3:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

FSU has a roller coaster of a schedule through October: vs New Mexico State, bye, vs SMU, at Alabama, vs Central Arkansas, vs Virginia, at Louisville, bye, at Miami, vs Clemson. That is a wild schedule to read. Two bye weeks. A mini-bye week after the SMU game. Two lower-level teams sandwiched around two ranked teams. I have no sympathy whatsoever for the Florida State football program, as the Canes are playing their first Saturday game of the season in Week 4! Still, it’s a tough slate. Let’s go Central Arkansas.

William & Mary @ Duke – 9/26 at 3:30 PM EST, TV – ACC Extra

I know William & Mary have been one of the teams in one of my ACC Rooting Guides, but I just can’t remember a single thing about their football program and am too lazy to look a second time. Meanwhile, Manny Diaz has the Blue Devils 3-0 and deserving of a spot in the AP Top 25 Rankings. A win this weekend would be nice before a bye week to rest, then a trip to Atlanta to face a not-so-scary Georgia Tech team. Let’s go Duke.

Delaware @ Virginia – 9/26 at 6:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

The Fightin’ Blue Hens of Delaware are 2-1 this season, with the loss being a nine-point defeat at Vanderbilt. Not bad. The Cavaliers of Virginia can’t simply show up to win this matchup. Tony Elliott’s squad is coming off a home loss at the hands of West Virginia that wasn’t supposed to happen. His team was supposed to be undefeated going into next week’s showdown in Tallahassee. Still, the Hoos have time to bounce back. It starts tomorrow evening. Let’s go Virginia.

Appalachian State @ NC State – 9/26 at 7:30 PM EST, TV – ESPNU

App State is 3-0. Those wins are over Maine, East Carolina, and Charlotte, but hey. Meanwhile, NC State got smoked by Virginia to begin the season, blew out Richmond, then lost at Vanderbilt last week in one of the most horrific losses in the history of organized sports. I am sure you’ve seen it. If not, it’s worth a look. With two home games against Louisville and Wake Forest following App State, the Wolfpack can’t drop another non-conference game. I have no idea how the team will respond this week, but will hope for the best. Let’s go NC State.

Missouri State @ #22 SMU – 9/26 at 9:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

The Mustangs lost a close one at Louisville. It was a back-and-forth game, but mistakes ended up costing SMU in the end. Quarterback Kevin Jennings needs to be better. He is a veteran and should be making better decisions more consistently. Rhett Lashlee’s squad has a few weeks before a seven-week grind of conference games to end the season. The climb starts with Missouri State. Let’s go SMU.

Georgia Tech @ Stanford – 9/26 at 10:30 PM EST, TV – ESPN

Is GT QB Alberto Mendoza just not good at football? I am honestly asking. It seems like he’s not, but I haven’t watched enough Yellow Jackets football this season to make a definitive statement. I do know I will probably be falling asleep on my couch by the time this game kicks off. Stanford is the same Stanford as last year: smart kids that try really hard. Let’s go Stanford.

See you next week!

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