The ACC football schedule 2026 early season kickoff times and TV slate has been announced, which features 42 games set for broadcast in the first three weeks (plus Week Zero).
The 2026 season will mark the third for the ACC as a 17-team conference. The Duke Blue Devils are the reigning ACC champion.
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be the first ACC team to hit the gridiron this fall when they face TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Ireland in Week Zero on Saturday, August 29. The game will be televised by ESPN at noon ET.
Virginia and NC State will also square off in Week Zero in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the game slated for a 3:30pm ET kickoff on ESPN. Two other ACC programs are also in action in Week Zero — Stanford (vs. Hawaii) and Florida State (vs. New Mexico State).
Week 1 of the season features two league teams opening on Thursday, September 3 — Wake Forest (vs. Akron; 7:00pm ET, ACCN) and Georgia Tech (vs. Colorado; 8:00pm ET, ESPN).
On Friday, September 4, the Miami Hurricanes travel to face Stanford, and the game will begin at 9:00pm ET on ESPN.
Three non-conference games highlight the schedule on Saturday, September 5 — Tulane at Duke (xpm ET, ), Boston College at Cincinnati (xpm ET, ), and Clemson at LSU (7:30pm ET, ABC).
One ACC members will play on Sunday, September 6. The Louisville Cardinals will face Ole Miss in the inaugural Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff at Nissan Stadium in Nashville (7:30pm ET, ABC).
Week 1 action wraps up on Labor Day, Monday, September 6, when the Florida State Seminoles host the SMU Mustangs at 7:30pm ET on ESPN.
The 2026 ACC Championship Game is set for Saturday, December 5 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., and it will be televised by ABC at Noon ET.
The ACC also released time and television for 13 additional games later in the season. Listed below are the ACC games have been selected for television as of May 27.
ACC football schedule 2026: Early season kickoff times, TV
*All times Eastern.
Saturday, Aug. 29
North Carolina vs. TCU – Noon, ESPN
NC State vs. Virginia* (Brasil) – 3:30pm, ESPN
Hawai’i at Stanford – 7pm, ACCN
New Mexico State at Florida State – 7pm, The CW
Thursday, Sept. 3
Akron at Wake Forest – 7pm, ACCN
Colorado at Georgia Tech – 8pm, ESPN
Friday, Sept. 4
Miami at Stanford* – 9pm, ESPN
Saturday, Sept. 5
New Hampshire at Syracuse – Noon, ACCN
Miami (OH) at Pitt – Noon or 12:30pm, The CW
Tulane at Duke – 3:30pm, ACCN
Boston College at Cincinnati – 3:30pm, FOX
Clemson at LSU – 7:30pm, ABC
VMI at Virginia Tech – 7:30pm, ACCN
UCLA at California – 10:30pm, ESPN
Sunday, Sept. 6
Louisville vs. Ole Miss (Nashville) – 7:30pm, ABC
Monday, Sept. 7
SMU at Florida State* – 7:30pm, ESPN
Thursday, Sept. 10
Florida A&M at Miami – 8pm, ACCN
Friday, Sept. 11
Richmond at NC State – 7pm, ESPNU
Villanova at Louisville – 7pm, ACCN
Norfolk State at Virginia – 7pm, ACCNX
Rutgers at Boston College – 7:30pm, ESPN2
Saturday, Sept. 12
Wake Forest at Purdue – Noon, FS1
ETSU at North Carolina – Noon, ACCN
Old Dominion at Virginia Tech – Noon, The CW
California at Syracuse* – 3:30pm, ACCN
UCF at Pitt – 3:30pm, ESPN2
Duke at Illinois – 3:30pm, FS1
UC Davis at SMU – 4pm, ACCNX
Tennessee at Georgia Tech – 7pm, ESPN
Georgia Southern at Clemson – 7:30pm, ACCN
Thursday, Sept. 17
Syracuse at Pitt* – 7:30pm, ESPN
Friday, Sept. 18
Miami at Wake Forest* – 7:30pm, ESPN
Saturday, Sept. 19
North Carolina at Clemson* – Noon, ESPN
Mercer at Georgia Tech – Noon, ACCN
NC State at Vanderbilt – 12:45pm, SECN
Maine at Boston College – 2pm, ACCNX
Florida State at Alabama – 3:30pm, ABC
SMU at Louisville* – 3:30pm, ESPN or ESPN2
Wagner at California – 3:30pm, ACCN
Stanford at Duke* – 4pm, The CW
Virginia Tech at Maryland – 7:30pm, FOX or FS1
West Virginia vs. Virginia (Charlotte) – 7:30pm, ACCN
Friday, Sept. 25
Clemson at California* – 10:30pm, ESPN
Saturday, Sept. 26
Bucknell at Pitt – Noon, ACCNX
William & Mary at Duke – 3:30pm, ACCNX
Central Michigan at Miami – 6:30pm, The CW
Georgia Tech at Stanford* – 10:30pm, ESPN
Friday, Oct. 2
Pitt at Virginia Tech* – 7pm, ESPN
Saturday, Oct. 3
California at UNLV – 3:30pm, CBSSN
Friday, Oct. 9
Florida State at Louisville* – 7pm, ESPN
Friday, Oct. 23
Duke at Virginia* – 7pm, ESPN
NC State at Stanford* – 10:30pm, ESPN
Friday, Nov. 6
Virginia Tech at SMU* – 7pm, ESPN
Friday, Nov. 13
Florida State at Pitt* – 7pm, ESPN
Friday, Nov. 20
Clemson at Duke* – 7:30pm, ESPN
Friday, Nov. 27
Florida at Florida State – 3:30pm, ABC
Saturday, Dec. 5
2026 ACC Football Championship Game – Noon, ABC
Bank of America Stadium
* ACC contest.
FOOTBALL SCHEDULES