ACC Rooting Guide: Week 1

My name is Mike Schiffman and I am back to pen the weekly ACC Rooting Guide. Just to be clear, my rooting interests below shouldn’t be taken the least bit seriously. We’re keeping it light here folks. This article is for entertainment purposes only.

The 2025 season is a big one for the ACC as they try earn multiple CFP spots for the second year in a row. I mention that fact because it will not factor into any of my rooting decisions. Week 1 has two gigantic top ten non-conference contests. I know everyone reading this is hyped for the #6 Notre Dame at #10 Miami rivalry game, but there is an even bigger matchup on Saturday afternoon between the best ACC team of the last fifteen years and their namesake from that dreaded other conference with of three letters.

Let’s do some rooting.

East Carolina @ NC State – 8/28 at 7:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

I played high school soccer with early 2000s ECU punter Ryan Dougherty. How about that for a tidbit for this game? Moving on, the Pirates topped the Wolfpack in the Military Bowl to end last season, 26-21. It seems like all these North Carolina schools hate each other and take great pride when they best an in-state rival. I think NC State will be focused and I know their crowd will be crazy. Also, I liked watching Miami crush ECU when they played twenty-some years ago. Let’s go NC State.

Elon @ Duke – 8/28 at 7:30 PM EST, TV – ACCN Extra

Another high school soccer teammate of mine played soccer at Elon. Fascinating I know. Duke was pretty good last season. Their only losses were to teams considerably more talented than them. Then the Blue Devils went out and spent some cash to bring in the talented Tulane QB Darian Mensah. Manny Diaz’s squad plays #12 Illinois at home next week, and they have a game at Clemson in November. But, they avoid Miami, FSU, Louisville, and Georgia Tech. 2025 could be a big season for Blue Devils football. Let’s go Duke.

Kennesaw State @ Wake Forest – 8/29 at 7:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

(Sigh). A small-conference school against one of the worst teams in the ACC is a tough one to break down. At least the Owls vs Demon Deacons matchup wasn’t relegated to ACCN Extra like the Elon at Duke game. That’s a win for both teams. Wake Forest has a relatively soft schedule this season. I don’t know how much of a difference that will make for them though. I would hope they could take care of the K State from Georgia. Let’s go Wake Forest.

Georgia Tech @ Colorado – 8/29 at 8:00 PM EST, TV – ESPN

Look at the Yellow Jackets getting a primetime ESPN game on opening weekend. Not bad. Brent Key’s squad is a trendy pick to be towards the top of the ACC this season. Beating a name like Colorado on the road in Week 1 would be a good start. I attended Miami’s game at GT last season. It sucked. The Canes’ loss to them in 2023 was possibly the most inexplicable loss in the history of the program. Am I still bitter? Yes. Yes I am. Let’s go Colorado.

Syracuse @ #24 Tennessee – 8/30 at 12:00 PM EST, TV – ABC

Speaking of being bitter about a loss, Syracuse is back and has a tinge of hype heading into this season. Meanwhile, Tennessee held strong against the demands of a good-but-not-great QB in Nico Iamaleava. I was all for it. That said, the Volunteers’ replacement is not an improvement. Luckily for coach Josh Heupel, he has some goodwill built up for 2025. I think they start this season off with a win. Let’s go Tennessee.

Duquesne @ Pittsburgh – 8/30 at 12:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

I honestly didn’t know Duquesne had a football team. It’s a great school name though. The Duquesne Dukes really rolls off the tongue. Pitt is looking to bounce back after losing their last five regular season games, plus their bowl game against Toledo. Rooting against Pitt is one of my things and I don’t see that changing in 2025. Let’s go Duquesne.

Fordham @ Boston College – 8/30 at 2:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN Extra

This is the ultimate ACCN Extra game: a forgettable matchup that starts before the noon games end and ends after the 3:30 games begin. Perfect. The Eagles lost their QB Thomas Castellanos to FSU, but I don’t think that necessarily means BC will be worse. They should be a tough out this season. Having said all that, it would be really funny if the Rams came into Chestnut Hill Stadium and pulled off the upset. Let’s go Fordham.

Eastern Kentucky @ Louisville – 8/30 at 3:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

The Cardinals have another good transfer QB this season in USC’s Miller Moss. Louisville coach Jeff Brohm is really good and gets the most out of his players. They are another trendy pick to finish at the top of the ACC in 2025. With games at Miami, vs Clemson, and at SMU, they will definitely have their chances. I hope to see an undefeated Miami vs Louisville matchup in mid-October. Let’s go Louisville.

Alabama @ FSU – 8/30 at 3:30 PM EST, TV – ABC

I honestly have no idea what to expect from this season’s FSU team. I watched Castellanos make some plays at BC last year, but can he really lead the Seminoles to the ACC Championship game? I wouldn’t think so, but I can’t say for sure. I will say that if Mike Norvell leads FSU to another losing season with losses to their in-state rivals, I don’t see how he comes back in 2026. This is an easy one for me. Let’s go Alabama.

Coastal Carolina @ Virginia – 8/30 at 6:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

Apparently the Cavaliers are supposed to be much better this season. With their schedule, they just might be. Tony Elliott’s squad avoids Miami, Clemson, and SMU. Virginia does not have one preseason Top 25 opponent in 2025. That’s kind of odd, but makes sense with the conference round robin scheduling. I’m still annoyed Miami had to split their regular season basketball conference championship with Virginia a couple years ago. Yeah, that’s right, it bothers me. Let’s go Coastal Carolina.

Matchup of the week

#9 LSU @ #4 Clemson – 8/30 at 7:30 PM EST, TV – ABC

I saved this one for last to break down. The Tigers of Louisiana brought in the number one ranked transfer class and have a highly touted QB running the offense. Their defense is supposed to take a bigger leap in defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s second season. Remember when Baker wasn’t a very good coach at Miami? Now he’s the highest paid DC in the country. Good for him. The Tigers of South Carolina are being picked by seemingly every college football expert to be a high seed in this season’s CFP. I don’t know which Tiger hype to believe in! I do know which team of Tigers I want to win. Let’s go Clemson.

East Texas A&M @ #16 SMU – 8/30 at 9:00 PM EST, TV – ACCN

Does anyone know what city East Texas A&M is located in? No? Commerce, TX. Duh. They have a cool looking logo too. That’s all I have on the Lions. Former Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee has been everything SMU has wanted in a coach. Their whooping at the hands of Penn State aside, it was impressive for the Mustangs to make the CFP last year. They brought in another Miami transfer in RB Chris Johnson Jr. I’ll be interested to see if he plays a big role for them in 2025. I like coach Lashlee. He’s legit. Let’s go SMU.

Cal @ Oregon State – 8/30 at 10:30 PM EST, TV – ESPN

PAC 12 football is back baby! I have a “Every play of the Miami Cal game” saved to my liked videos on YouTube. I think I have watched it four times by now. It never gets old. Getting to see Miami in person against UF and USF was great, but watching that comeback well after midnight was a memorable experience. I had a celebratory beer at 3:30 AM EST as I started to write the Three Stars article. I doubt I’ll ever drink that late again. Let’s go Oregon State.

Virginia Tech @ #13 South Carolina – 8/31 at 3:00 PM EST, TV – ESPN

After a great run under Frank Beamer, Va Tech has been mostly irrelevant in the years since his retirement. Meanwhile, his son Shane has his most talented roster and a top 15 preseason ranking with South Carolina. It bugged me last season when Beamer said he wanted Syracuse to beat Miami after his Gamecocks just topped Clemson. Lame. Worry about your own team bro! Let’s go Virginia Tech.

TCU @ UNC – 9/1 at 8:00 PM EST, TV – ESPN

And we have Bill Belichick’s college football coaching debut capping off the opening weekend of the 2025 season. How much better will UNC be compared to last season? I don’t know. Will Belichick last more than one year in college football? I don’t know. What does a successful season look like for Belichick and UNC? I don’t know. I do know I want them to beat the Horned Frogs of TCU. Let’s go UNC.

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend full of college football!

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