By Mark Pszonak
Everyone knows that the SEC and Big Ten rule college football, which can make things a bit awkward for the ACC and Big 12. But this is truer for the ACC, since the Big 12 had to fight tooth-and-nail in recent years to even maintain its existence. The ACC on the other hand has top-level programs like Clemson, Miami and Florida State, yet still has been thrown to the wayside.
Financially, the ACC has no quick answer to try and rise up to the level of the SEC and Big Ten. It isn’t happening in 2025, and it isn’t happening anytime soon. It likely will never happen as long as the current conferences exist. However, if the ACC wants to regain some respect and credibility, it can do it on the football field during Week 1 of the 2025 season. There are several opportunities for ACC teams to make a positive impression, but how many will take advantage of it?
Georgia Tech at Colorado (Friday, August 29th)
The skinny: It all starts with the Yellow Jackets visiting Boulder on Friday night. While there are 11 games on Friday, only two are P4 vs. P4 matchups, with Auburn/Baylor being the other. But we all know that Coach Deion Sanders draws viewers, so plenty of people will be watching to see what the non-Shedeur Sanders/Travis Hunter Buffaloes will look like. And this gives Georgia Tech, which has established a good amount of off-season buzz, to take advantage of it. A victory in Boulder will go a long way in positioning Georgia Tech towards a potentially big season.
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Syracuse v. Tennessee (Saturday, August 30th in Atlanta – 12pm)
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The skinny: We start off Saturday with a noon game in Atlanta between the Orange and Vols. Considering the proximity to Knoxville, this will basically be a Tennessee home game, which won’t help Syracuse’s chances. However, Tennessee will be in the unexpected position of introducing a new starting quarterback, Joey Aguilar, after the Nico Iamaleava fiasco took place earlier this spring. Is Aguilar ready to make the jump to bigtime football after playing in Appalachian State last season? There will be plenty of pressure on Aguilar, who led the nation in interceptions in 2024, so the Orange need to find a way to force him to continue this trend.
Alabama at Florida State (Saturday, August 30th – 3:30pm)
The skinny: The 2024 season was the definition of a disaster in Tallahassee. What better way to show that it was just an abnormality by defeating the Tide on national television. The Seminoles enter the game with plenty of question marks, but new transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos is a veteran, who can be extremely dangerous as a dual-threat. And this is while the Tide will be introducing an inexperienced quarterback, likely Ty Simpson.
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LSU at Clemson (Saturday, August 30th – 7:30pm)
The skinny: The marquee matchup of the weekend puts the ACC participant in a different position than the rest. Clemson is the favorite and playing at home. As a popular choice to make a serious run towards a National Championship, this is a game that the Tigers need to win. Yes, they can lose and still win the ACC, but if they want to be considered as an elite team in 2025, this is a must-win game.
Virginia Tech v. South Carolina (Sunday, August 31st – 3pm)
The skinny: Sunday brings another huge opportunity for a team that is trying to prove that they are on the right track. Virginia Tech disappointed in 2024 and head coach Brent Pry is very likely coaching for his job in 2025. What better way to regain some confidence in Blacksburg than by beating South Carolina, a team with some of the loudest off-season buzz in the country.
Notre Dame at Miami-Florida (Sunday, August 31st – 7:30pm)
The skinny: While Notre Dame plays five ACC games per season, their affiliation with the conference in football is somewhat hollow. Because of this, a victory by Miami on Sunday night, with new transfer quarterback Carson Beck, would be an eye-opener for both the ACC and nationally. This is the perfect time for the Canes to play Notre Dame, considering the Irish will be introducing a new inexperienced quarterback (likely CJ Carr). This isn’t the Catholics vs. Convicts battles of years past, but a victory as the only game on television on a Sunday night would be a big boost for the Miami program.
