It's been a crazy past month or so, to say the least, as college football has gotten in gear. Some teams have scrambled to prepare in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, while other conferences and programs have canceled fall football. Those of us who like to follow college football have scrambled to preview what is already the weirdest season in memory.
I have now completed 13 of 15 ACC team previews. I just have Florida State and Virginia to go. FSU plays Saturday, so my look at the Seminoles will be finished soon. I'll focus on the 'Hoos next week, since they don't play until Sept. 19 at Virginia Tech.
Some of my previews were written at times when schools did not have an 11th game scheduled against a nonconference opponent. With UVa adding Abilene Christian to its schedule last week, all ACC teams now have a nonconference game. Below, I'll look at each conference school, note its original nonconference game, its new one (if applicable), and the date for that contest. All of these games take place in the ACC team's home stadium. I'll also note if the addition of that game changes my record prediction for the team. And at the bottom of this post, you'll find my picks for Week 1's ACC schedule.
Syracuse
Nonconference opponent: Liberty (no change) Date: Oct. 17 Prediction: 4-7 or 5-6
Boston College
Original nonconference opponent: Ohio New opponent: Texas State Date: Sept. 26 Original prediction: 2-8 or 3-7 New prediction: 3-8 or 4-7
Notre Dame
Original nonconference opponent: Western Michigan New opponent: South Florida Date: Sept. 19 Original prediction: 8-2 or 9-1 New prediction: 9-2 or 10-1
Pittsburgh
Original nonconference opponent: Miami (Ohio) New opponent: Austin Peay Date: Sept. 12 Original prediction: 6-4 or 7-3 New prediction: 7-4 or 8-3
Louisville
Nonconference opponent: Western Kentucky (no change) Date: Sept. 12 Prediction: 8-3 or 9-2
Virginia Tech
Nonconference opponent: Liberty (no change) Date: Nov. 7 Prediction: 8-3 or 9-2
Wake Forest
Original nonconference opponent: Old Dominion New opponent: Campbell Date: Oct. 9 Original prediction: 3-7 or 4-6 New prediction: 4-7 or 5-6
Duke
Nonconference opponent: Charlotte (no change) Date: Oct. 31 Prediction: 5-6 or 6-5
North Carolina
Nonconference opponent: Charlotte (no change) Date: Sept. 19 Prediction: 8-3 or 9-2
N.C. State
Nonconference opponent: Liberty (no change) Date: Nov. 21 Prediction: 4-7 or 5-6
Clemson
Nonconference opponent: The Citadel (no change) Date: Sept. 19 Prediction: 10-1 or 11-0
Georgia Tech
Nonconference opponent: UCF (no change) Date: Sept. 19 Prediction: 3-8 or 4-7
Miami
Nonconference opponent: UAB (no change) Date: Sept. 10 Prediction: 5-6 or 6-5
Florida State
Nonconference opponent: Jacksonville State (no change) Date: Oct. 3 Prediction: to come in team preview post
Virginia
Original nonconference opponent: VMI New opponent: Abilene Christian Date: Nov. 21 Prediction: to come in team preview post
Week 1 picks
Last season, I went 120-44 in my college picks, a percentage of 73.2. Here are my predictions for this week's ACC games.
Thursday
UAB (1-0) at Miami, 8 p.m. ACCN
Miami 31, UAB 21
Saturday
Syracuse at No. 18 North Carolina, Noon, ACCN
North Carolina 38, Syracuse 21
Duke at No. 10 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. NBC
Notre Dame 38, Duke 17
Georgia Tech at Florida State, 3:30 p.m. ABC
Florida State 27, Georgia Tech 17
Austin Peay (0-1) at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. ACCN
Pittsburgh 45, Austin Peay 10
No. 1 Clemson at Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m. ABC
Clemson 38, Wake Forest 7
Western Kentucky at Louisville, 8 p.m. ACCN
Louisville 41, Western Kentucky 24
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