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Football

High-Powered Offenses Collide Friday as ACC Football Charges into Week 5

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Week 5 of the 2025 ACC football season kicks off under the Friday night lights as the league’s top two scoring offenses go head-to-head with No. 8 Florida State traveling to Virginia in a nationally anticipated showdown this Friday, September 26, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
 
The action continues on Saturday, September 27, with five conference games on the slate and one key non-conference rivalry matchup. Several teams enter the weekend with momentum, including No. 16 Georgia Tech, off to its first 4-0 start since 2014, and Louisville, boasting the ACC’s top-ranked pass defense.
 
Week 5 - ACC Football Schedule
(all times Eastern Time)
 
Friday, September 26
#8 Florida State at Virginia | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Series: Florida State leads series, 14-4-0
Last meeting: Virginia, 31-24 (2019)
 
Saturday, September 27
#16 Georgia Tech at Wake Forest | Noon | ESPN
Series: Georgia Tech leads series, 24-8-0
Last meeting: Georgia Tech, 30-16 (2023)

Louisville at Pitt | Noon | ESPN2
Series: Pitt leads series, 11-10-0
Last meeting: Louisville, 37-9 (2024)
 
Duke at Syracuse | Noon | ACC Network
Series: Duke leads series, 4-1-0
Last meeting: Duke, 38-24 (2020)
 
California at Boston College | 3:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Series: Boston College leads series, 1-0-0
Last meeting: Boston College, 21-15 (1986)
 
Virginia Tech at NC State | 7 p.m. | The CW
Series: Virginia Tech leads series, 28-20-4
Last meeting: NC State, 35-28 (2023)
 
San José State at Stanford | 7:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Series: Stanford leads series, 52-15-1
Last meeting: San José State, 34-31 (2024)
 
 
ACC Football Notes
 
Future ACC Football Scheduling Model
  • The Athletic Directors of the 17 ACC football-playing institutions overwhelmingly supported a regular season schedule that includes nine conference games and a minimum of 10 games each year against Power 4 opponents.
  • This positions the ACC as one of only two leagues committed to having every team annually play a minimum of 10 games against Power 4 teams.
  • Most teams will begin playing nine conference games plus one P4 game in 2026; however, multiple teams will play eight conference games and two P4 non-conference opponents to accommodate for currently scheduled non-conference games as part of the transition to the new model.
  • The nine-game league schedule will be fully implemented in 2027, with 16 teams playing nine league games and one that will play eight conference games plus two P4 non-conference games.
  • Per the Conference constitution, the 9+1 scheduling model will be presented to the FAR for formal adoption.
 
Three’s Company in the Top 10
  • With Miami (No. 2/6) and Florida State (No. 8/8) ranked in both the AP and Coaches polls, the ACC is one of only three conferences to have multiple teams ranked in the top 10 of both national top 25 polls in Week 5.

ACC and ESPN/ACCN Enhanced Instant Replay Transparency
  • Week 5 of the ACC Football season will see the ACC’s enhanced instant replay transparency once again, this time during the Friday night ACC contest between No. 8 Florida State and Virginia at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
  • First-of-its-kind collaboration modernizing the fan experience.
  • Fans will hear real-time officiating deliberations on ESPN/ESPN2’s Friday night games and ACCN primetime Saturdays.
  • ACC was the only league providing this level of access in select games in 2024 and the start of 2025, setting a new standard for college football.

Two Undefeated ACC Teams with Multiple Power 4 Wins
  • Heading into Week 5, the ACC boasts two undefeated teams — Georgia Tech (4-0) and Miami (4-0) — each with multiple Power 4 wins on the season.
  • The Yellow Jackets and Hurricanes make the ACC one of just three conferences with multiple teams that are both unbeaten and have recorded multiple P4 victories this year.
 
ACC with Multiple Top-10 Wins
  • The ACC is one of three conferences with multiple top-10 victories so far this season: Florida State over No. 8 Alabama (August 30) and Miami over No. 6. Notre Dame (August 31).
 
ACC Games Come Down to the Wire
  • From 2021–24, 107 of 236 ACC conference games (45.3%) were decided by eight points or fewer.
  • In 2024 alone, 34 of 68 league games (50%) were one-possession outcomes.
 
ACC Football Fridays
  • ACC Football is set to dominate Fridays this fall, with a league-record 12 games scheduled for Fridays in 2025, the most of any conference.
  • 12 of the ACC’s 17 football programs will participate in at least one primetime Friday night game.
  • ACC on Friday nights continues this week, as No. 8 Florida State will travel to Virginia for an ACC contest on September 26 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Strongest Non-Conference Schedule
  • Through the first four weeks of the season, ACC teams have played 17 non-conference games against peer Power 4 opponents and Notre Dame – the most of any conference – ACC – 17; Big 12 – 14; SEC – 13; Big Ten – 11.
  • The ACC has nine games remaining against peer P4 and Notre Dame this season, three more than the other three conferences combined – SEC (5), Big Ten (1) and Big 12 (0).
  • ACC teams are scheduled to play 26 games against peer Power 4 conference opponents and Notre Dame in 2025, the most of any conference by at least eight games – ACC – 26; SEC – 18; Big 12 – 14; Big Ten – 12.
 
ACC is Again the Conference of Quarterbacks
  • The ACC has eight different quarterbacks across eight different teams that have thrown seven or more touchdown passes thus far this season, tied for the second-most among all FBS conferences.
  • The ACC has seven quarterbacks that rank among the nation's passing leaders this season with an average of 260.0 or more passing yards per game - the most of any conference.
  • Eight quarterbacks in the ACC rank in the top 30 in passing yards this season, the most of any conference.
  • Quarterbacks in the ACC have recorded a total of 17 300-yard passing games this season, the most of all FBS conferences.
  • The ACC has 11 different quarterbacks who have recorded at least one 300+ yard passing game this season, tied for the most of all FBS conferences.
  • The ACC features nine of the top 30 quarterback transfers heading into the 2025 season and has seen a strong influx of talent at the position.
  • The ACC had 13 quarterbacks named to the 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List – no other conference had more.
  • The ACC also had seven quarterbacks named to the 2025 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List.
 
ACC is Loaded with Preeminent Players
  • Fifteen ACC players have already rushed for 100+ yards in a game this season. Five have done it twice — Micah Ford (Stanford), Isaac Brown (Louisville), Haynes King (Georgia Tech), Adam Randall (Clemson) and Mark Fletcher Jr. (Miami), while Hollywood Smothers (NC State) has done it three times.
  • Through the first four weeks of the season, 18 different ACC players have posted 100-yard receiving games, with Clemson’s Bryant Wesco Jr. and SMU’s Romello Brinson each accomplishing the feat twice.
  • Boston College wideout Lewis Bond leads the nation in receptions per game (9.7) and total catches (29).
  • Two of the top seven NCAA leaders in sacks per game are from the ACC, the only Power 4 conference with multiple players in the top 10 – Duke’s Vincent Anthony Jr. (1.25) and Louisville’s Clev Lubin (1.17).
  • California defensive back Hezekiah Masses leads the nation in passes defended (10) and passes defended per game (2.5), while also ranking second in all of FBS with three interceptions.
  • Six of the top 25 players ranked in the NCAA in all-purpose yards per game hail from the ACC.
  • The ACC has five players that rank in the top 25 in average yards per punt return, including two in the top 10 and three in the top 12.
  • Louisville’s Caullin Lacy is the only FBS player this season with two punt return touchdowns of at least 75 yards. It’s already tied for the second most any ACC player has had in a single season over the last 30 years, trailing only Maryland’s Steve Suter in 2002 (three).
  • Wake Forest’s Chris Barnes ranks second in all of FBS with an average of 42.8 kickoff return yards per return this season.
 
ACC x NFL
  • No conference blends college football and NFL experience quite like the ACC in 2025, with three former NFL head coaches now leading programs: Bill O’Brien (Boston College), Bill Belichick (North Carolina) and Frank Reich (Stanford), the most of any conference.
  • Belichick (six Super Bowl wins) and Reich (one) are the only two college football head coaches who have also won a Super Bowl as either head coach or coordinator in the NFL.
  • Several ACC programs also feature General Managers with deep NFL ties, including Ron Rivera (Cal), John Garrett (Duke), Michael Lombardi (North Carolina) and Andrew Luck (Stanford), along with a growing number of former NFL stars contributing across coaching staffs and player development roles.