ACC Week: Schedule Breakdowns
By Kyle Kensing
* refers to a conference game.
^ refers to a Championship Subdivision opponent.
(a/b is overall 2011 record, x/y 2011 conference record).
BOSTON COLLEGE
A likely must-bowl season for head coach Frank Spaziani hinges largely on a three-game stretch in October. BC plays half of its six road games from Oct. 6 to Oct. 20, including two against ACC foes Florida State and Georgia Tech.
Eagle opponents went a combined 88-69 in 2011, a winning percentage of 56.1.
Sept. 1 vs. Miami* (6-6, 3-5)
The two teams open with a conference showdown, and coincidentally their second straight meeting one another. The teams closed out 2011 in Miami, a game BC won 24-17.
Sept. 8 vs. Maine^ (9-4)
Maine was a 2011 NCAA Playoff participant; the Colonial Athletic Association has beaten an ACC opponent every season since the conference was formed from the ashes of (mostly) the A-10.
Sept. 15 at Northwestern (6-7)
Sept. 29 vs. Clemson* (10-4, 6-2)
Played for the O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy
Oct. 6 at Army (3-9)
Oct. 13 at Florida State* (10-3, 6-2)
Oct. 20 at Georgia Tech* (8-5, 5-3)
Oct. 27 vs. Maryland (2-10, 1-7)
Nov. 3 at Wake Forest (6-7, 4-4)
Nov. 10 vs. Notre Dame (9-4)
Notre Dame snapped a six-game losing skid in the Holy War in 2009, and have since rattled off three straight against BC. Last year’s contest was a 12-9, defensive struggle in which Irish running back Jonas Gray suffered an ACL tear.
Nov. 17 vs. Virginia Tech (11-3, 7-1)
Nov. 24 at NC State (8-5, 4-4)
BC’s 14-10 win over the Pack last season was NC State’s final loss before winning three straight to close 2011.
CLEMSON
Dabo Swinney’s Tigers gun for a second consecutive ACC championship, but the road won’t be easy. The Tigers travel to favorite Florida State before hosting Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. All three contests are played on or before Oct. 20, however. The second half of the slate is lighter, with a stretch against three teams that finished 2011 below .500 following.
Clemson’s opponents’ combined winning percentage last season was 56 (87-68).
Sept. 1 vs. Auburn (8-5)
in Atlanta
The cross-conference rivalry was reignited in 2010 after nearly four decades of dormancy. Each has won a contest on its home field. This third installment is played in neutral territory, almost equidistant from the two campuses (124 miles from Clemson, 108 from Auburn).
Sept. 8 vs. Ball State (6-6)
Sept. 15 vs. Furman^ (6-5)
Sept. 22 at Florida State* (10-3, 6-2)
Clemson paved its way to the ACC championship with a narrow defeat of FSU at home, 35-30.
Sept. 29 at Boston College* (4-8, 2-6)
Oct. 6 vs. Georgia Tech* (8-5, 5-3)
GT handed Clemson its first loss, 31-17 on Oct. 29.
Oct. 20 vs. Virginia Tech* (11-3, 7-1)
Clemson accounted for two of Va. Tech’s losses last season. Neither game was played in Clemson.
Oct. 25 at Wake Forest* (6-7, 4-4)
The Tigers needed a second half rally to knock off the Demon Deacons in 2011.
Nov. 3 at Duke* (3-9, 1-7)
Nov. 10 vs. Maryland* (2-10, 1-7)
Nov. 17 vs. NC State* (8-5, 4-4)
The Wolfpack handed Clemson a 37-13 rout last season.
Nov. 24 vs. South Carolina (11-2)
CU finishes with its in-state rival from the SEC. The Tigers have not topped the Gamecocks since 2008.
DUKE
Regular ACC cellar dweller Duke has a tall hurdle to overcome. The Blue Devils miss the one conference foe it beat in 2011 (Boston College) and face a treacherous six-week stretch of opponents that won a combined 54 games. Overall, Duke opponents’ combined record was 89-66 (57.4 win percentage), although that figure is heavily distorted in the front end by games against NCCU and Memphis.
Sept. 1 vs. FIU (8-5)
The Blue Devils handed FIU its first loss of 2011, 31-27 in a game Sean Renfree went off for 335 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Sept. 8 at Stanford (11-2)
Sept. 15 vs. North Carolina Central^ (2-9)
Sept. 22 vs. Memphis (2-10)
Sept. 29 at Wake Forest* (6-7, 4-4)
Duke fell to Wake at home last season, 24-23. It was one of four Blue Devils losses to come by single digits.
Oct. 6 vs. Virginia* (8-5, 5-3)
Oct. 13 at Virginia Tech* (11-3, 7-1)
Va. Tech managed just 14 points in their meeting last season — of course, the Hokies held Duke to 10.
Oct. 20 vs. North Carolina* (7-6, 3-5)
Oct. 27 at Florida State* (10-3, 6-2)
Nov. 3 vs. Clemson* (10-4, 6-2)
Nov. 17 at Georgia Tech* (8-5, 5-3)
Nov. 24 vs. Miami* (6-6, 3-5)
FLORIDA STATE
Florida State is on the road to redemption, poised for a return to college football’s elite. And interestingly, it begins not with a bang, but a whimper. The Seminoles play two FCS opponents. Regulations dictate a team with two wins over the FCS must reach seven to become bowl eligible. FSU won’t have to sweat out its postseason status to the final week like NC State did last season. The Duke basketball level of scheduling is the result of losing West Virginia from the slate, the Mountaineers having added a conference game with their move to the Big 12.
FSU does not leave the Sunshine State until October. The ‘Noles see the two teams that defeated it in conference play immediately following its FCS foray, Wake Forest and Clemson. Both games are in Doak Campbell. The Clemson game is of particular interest, as it, along with games pitting the two against Virginia Tech, form a round robin likely to decide the league title.
Sept. 1 vs. Murray State^ (7-4)
Sept. 8 vs. Savannah State^ (1-10)
Sept. 15 vs. Wake Forest* (6-7, 4-4)
Wake used a proficient passing attack to bewilder the Seminoles and score a monumental upset a season ago. With this marking the first test of 2012 for the rejuvenated Seminoles, and the sting of last season’s loss still fresh, expect a lively effort from FSU.
Sept. 22 vs. Clemson* (10-4, 6-2)
CU jumped out to a big lead last season when FSU visited Death Valley, not long after its physical encounter with Oklahoma. A more healthy Seminole lineup should be prepared for this clash of contenders.
Sept. 29 vs. USF (5-7)
Oct. 6 at NC State* (8-5, 5-3)
Oct. 13 vs. Boston College (4-8, 3-5)
Oct. 20 at Miami* (6-6, 3-5)
The ‘Canes-‘Noles rivalry is presently at a low, but in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s was among the most heated in college football.
Oct. 27 vs. Duke* (3-9, 1-7)
Nov. 8 at Virginia Tech* (11-3, 7-1)
Should these two teams come into this Thursday night affair unbeaten, major BCS implications will be at stake — and potentially Heisman positioning between E.J. Manuel and Logan Thomas.
Nov. 17 at Maryland* (2-10, 1-7)
Nov. 24 vs. Florida
The heated, non-conference rivalry convenes for the 57th time.
GEORGIA TECH
The Yellow Jackets play one of the more interesting conference slates of any FBS team, playing almost half of its ACC schedule before October. Tech also faces a pair of ambitious non-conference games in two double digit-game winners from ’11.
Yet, in missing Florida State and drawing the three ACC teams with the worst overall records, Tech faces one of the lowest cumulative winning percentages from the past season (77-74, .509).
Sept. 3 at Virginia Tech* (11-3, 7-1)
VPI’s 37 points against the Jackets last November were the most points GT surrendered all season. The Labor Day night game has long been a showcase for the ACC, and these are two of the conference’s best. The winner has a major leg up on the BCS landscape.
Sept. 8 vs. Presbyterian ^ (4-7)
Sept. 15 vs. Virginia* (8-5, 5-3)
Sept. 22 vs. Miami* (6-6, 3-5)
Sept. 29 vs. Middle Tennessee State (2-10)
Oct. 6 at Clemson* (10-4, 6-2)
Oct. 20 vs. Boston College* (4-8, 3-5)
Oct. 27 vs. BYU (10-3)
Tech originally agreed to a four-game series with BYU, but this spring cut the contract in half. The match-up with the independent Cougars is a big reason the Yellow Jackets’ front end is so loaded with conference games; BYU has a need for late October and November match-ups, and offers an attractive match-up out-of-conference.
Nov. 3 at Maryland (2-10, 1-7)
Nov. 10 at North Carolina (7-6, 3-5)
Nov. 17 vs. Duke (3-9, 1-7)
Nov. 24 at Georgia (10-3)
Georgia Tech has dropped the last three in this, one of college football’s most longstanding Thanksgiving rivalries.
MARYLAND
Randy Edsall tries to rebound from a trying first season, but Year 2 will pose its challenges. The Terrapins face a back-loaded schedule, with Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech and UNC all in November. A hot start is crucial if UM is going to recover from the brutal 2-10 finish it suffered in ’11.
However, the Terrapins draw a challenging non-conference slate. Temple and West Virginia were both bowl game winners last winter. UConn is returning an experienced roster in its second season post-Edsall, and William & Mary has been one of the more consistent FCS programs in recent seasons.
Sept. 1 vs. William & Mary
Sept. 8 at Temple
The Owls routed Maryland last season behind since departed running back Bernard Pierce’s four first half touchdowns.
Sept. 15 vs. Connecticut
Edsall faces the program he coached for over a decade. The Terps’ No. 111 rushing defense could have its hands full with Lyle McCombs.
Sept. 22 at West Virginia
Rivals have met off and on since 1919, rekindling the series in 2010 after a two-year layoff. The Mountaineers have taken six straight, tying the record for most consecutive wins.
Oct. 6 vs. Wake Forest
Oct. 13 at Virginia
Oct. 20 vs. NC State
Last season at NC State, UM built a 41-14 lead in the third quarter that served only to set the stage for a Wolfpack rally of epic proportions.
Oct. 27 at Boston College
Nov. 3 vs. Georgia Tech
Nov. 10 at Clemson
Nov. 17 vs. Florida State
Nov. 24 vs. North Carolina