CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference once again stands atop college football with the nation’s most challenging non-conference schedule, continuing a long-standing commitment to competitive excellence and marquee matchups.
ACC teams are scheduled to play 25 non-conference games against peer Power Four Conference opponents and Notre Dame, the most of any conference. That total includes nine games against the SEC, five versus the Big Ten, five against the Big 12 and six matchups with Notre Dame, underscoring the league’s willingness to compete against the nation’s top programs on the biggest stages.
The strength of the slate is further highlighted by 12 non-conference games against teams ranked in both the final 2025 College Football Playoff rankings and the final 2025 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, as well as 27 non-conference contests against bowl-eligible opponents from last season, including three matchups against teams that earned a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
ACC programs are also scheduled to play 12 non-conference games versus opponents ranked in ESPN’s 2026 Way-Too-Early Top 25.
The national spotlight begins in Week 0, as North Carolina faces TCU in the
2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, before continuing into Week 1 with several high-profile matchups. Highlights include Georgia Tech hosting Colorado, California welcoming UCLA, Clemson traveling to LSU, Boston College visiting Cincinnati and Louisville facing Ole Miss at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
The challenge continues in Week 2, highlighted by Boston College hosting Rutgers, Georgia Tech welcoming Tennessee, and Pitt taking on UCF at home, while Duke travels to Illinois and Wake Forest visits Purdue. Week 3 ramps up the spotlight even further, with Florida State visiting Alabama, NC State traveling to Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech heading to Maryland and Virginia facing West Virginia in the
Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Additional marquee matchups include North Carolina hosting Notre Dame in Week 5, followed by Stanford traveling to South Bend to face the Fighting Irish in Week 6. ACC teams will also play road games at Notre Dame in Week 10 (Miami), Week 11 (Boston College) and Week 12 (SMU).
The regular season concludes in Week 13 with traditional rivalry and national spotlight games, including Clemson hosting South Carolina, Florida State welcoming Florida to Tallahassee, Syracuse hosting Notre Dame, Louisville traveling to Kentucky, and Georgia Tech visiting Georgia.
The season will culminate with the 2026 ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 5, at noon ET on ABC from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fans are encouraged to sign up for the ACC Football mailing list to be among the first to receive information on ticket offers, on-sale dates and pricing. Click here for more information.
The ACC, in conjunction with its television partners ESPN, ACC Network and The CW, will announce kickoff times for the first three weeks of the season in late May. One game in each of Weeks 8, 9, and 10 will be moved to Friday, with those additional scheduling details to be announced later.
About The ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference, in its 73rd year and 18 members strong, stands as one of the most competitive and revered intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members including Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are dedicated to upholding the league's founding values of academic excellence, athletic competition at the highest level, and integrity. The ACC supports 28 NCAA sports, with 15 for women and 13 for men, and its member institutions span 12 states. In August 2019, the ACC and ESPN partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network exclusively devoted to ACC sports and original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow the ACC on Instagram (@accsports), Twitter (@theACC) and Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).