North Carolina’s ACC football teams will get off an an early start this fall, both in the dates of their season openers and the starting times for their games over the first three weeks, according to a schedule announced by the conference Friday.
Wake Forest will kick things off on Thursday, Aug. 30 at Tulane in the first regular season game played by an ACC team in 2018. Game time and television coverage will be determined at a later date by the American Athletic Conference.
On Friday, Aug. 31, Duke will open its season at home against Army. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 1, but has been moved so that it can be televised nationally by ESPNU. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
North Carolina and NC State will get started on the traditional first Saturday in September date, with the Wolfpack taking on James Madison at Carter-Finley Stadium at noon on ESPNU and the Tar Heels traveling to California for a game whose starting time will be determined by the Pac-12 Conference.
The ACC announced starting times and television network designations for games under its control during the first three weeks of the upcoming season. Also included in the release are times and networks for games scheduled on Thursday and Friday nights.
On Saturday, Sept. 8, Wake Forest will be at home against Towson at noon on ACC Network Extra and NC State will host Georgia State at 12:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Carolinas, while UNC (at East Carolina) and Duke (at Northwestern) will have the kickoffs chosen by the conferences of their respective opponents.
The following Saturday (Sept. 15), it will be UNC’s turn to draw the dreaded noon time slot for its home opener against self-proclaimed defending “national champion” Central Florida. State will be at home against West Virginia at 3:30 p.m. Both games will be on one of several ESPN/ABC platforms.
Duke will be at Baylor at a yet-to-be-decided starting time. Wake Forest will get the week started by playing its second Thursday night game in three weeks, this time against Boston College in Winston-Salem at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Other weeknight games involving state schools are UNC at Miami on Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. on ESPN and Wake Forest at NC State on Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Here is the entire schedule for the first three weeks of the season as released by the ACC:
Thursday, Aug. 30
Wake Forest at Tulane, TBD by American Athletic Conference
Friday, Aug. 31
Army West Point at Duke, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Syracuse at Western Michigan, TBD by Mid-American Conference
Saturday, Sept. 1
James Madison at NC State, Noon, ESPNU
Furman at Clemson, 12:20 p.m., ACC Network
Alcorn State at Georgia Tech, 12:30 p.m., Regional Sports Network
Massachusetts at Boston College, 1 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Albany at Pitt, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Richmond at Virginia, 6 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Louisville vs. Alabama (Camping World Kickoff, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.), 8 p.m., ABC (previously announced)
North Carolina at California, TBD by Pac-12 Conference
Sunday, Sept. 2
Miami vs. LSU (AdvoCare Classic, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas), 7:30 p.m., ABC (previously announced)
Monday, Sept. 3
Virginia Tech at Florida State, 8 p.m., ESPN (previously announced)
Saturday, Sept. 8
Towson at Wake Forest, Noon, ACC Network Extra
Georgia State at NC State, 12:30 p.m., Regional Sports Network
Holy Cross at Boston College, 1 p.m., ACC Network Extra
William & Mary at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Wagner at Syracuse, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Savannah State at Miami, 6 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Indiana State at Louisville, 7 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Samford at Florida State, 7:20 p.m., ACC Network
Penn State at Pitt, 8 p.m., ABC (previously announced)
Clemson at Texas A&M, TBD by Southeastern Conference
Duke at Northwestern, TBD by Big Ten Conference
Georgia Tech at USF, TBD by American Athletic Conference
North Carolina at East Carolina, TBD by American Athletic Conference
Virginia at Indiana, TBD by Big Ten Conference
Thursday, Sept. 13
Boston College at Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Sept. 15
Florida State at Syracuse, Noon, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
UCF at North Carolina, Noon, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
East Carolina at Virginia Tech, 12:20 p.m., ACC Network
Georgia Tech at Pitt, 12:30 p.m., Regional Sports Network
Ohio at Virginia, 3 p.m., ACC Network Extra
Georgia Southern at Clemson, 3:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
West Virginia at NC State, 3:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
Western Kentucky at Louisville, 7:30 p.m., Regional Sports Network
Duke at Baylor, TBD by Big 12 Conference
Miami at Toledo, TBD by Mid-American Conference
Thursday Night Games
Sept. 27 – North Carolina at Miami, 8 p.m., ESPN
Oct. 25 – Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Nov. 8 – Wake Forest at NC State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday Night Games
Oct. 5 – Georgia Tech at Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Oct. 26 – Miami at Boston College, 7 p.m., ESPN
Nov. 2 – Pitt at Virginia, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Nov. 9 – Louisville at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Nov. 23 – Virginia at Virginia Tech, time and network TBD
