Pitt Athletics Football October 09, 2026 Week 6 Saturday Preview: Saturday Slate Features Six Games Across Four Networks CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference’s Saturday football schedule features six matchups across four networks, highlighted by unbeaten No. 25 Pitt hosting North Carolina at noon ET on ESPN. Wake Forest travels to NC State in the other noon ET kickoff on The CW, while Duke visits Georgia Tech on ESPN2 and Virginia Tech heads west to California on ACC Network at 3:30 p.m. ET. Stanford takes on No. 3 Notre Dame in non-conference action at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, and Syracuse visits Virginia in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. The ACC enters the weekend tied for the national lead with three unbeaten teams in Miami, Duke and Pitt, which are a combined 14-0. Miami and Pitt are two of only 10 teams nationally at 5-0, while Duke looks to continue its unbeaten start in Atlanta. The Conference’s depth remains evident nationally, with 11 teams in ESPN’s FPI Top 50 and nine in the Top 50 of Strength of Record. Saturday, October 10 North Carolina at #25 Pitt | Noon ET Series: North Carolina leads series, 12-6 Last meeting: Pitt, 34-24 (2024) TV: ESPN SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 174 / SiriusXM 234 / SiriusXM 258 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 258 / SiriusXM 958 North Carolina visits No. 25 Pitt on Saturday at noon ET on ESPN at Acrisure Stadium. Pitt is one of three remaining undefeated ACC teams, along with Miami and Duke. North Carolina enters Saturday following a 37-26 loss to No. 3 Notre Dame, a game in which the Tar Heels scored 26 points against one of the nation’s top-ranked teams. UNC will now face a ranked opponent for the second consecutive week. North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. has thrown for 819 yards and six touchdowns through four games, while running back Benjamin Hall leads the Tar Heels with 251 rushing yards at 5.8 yards per carry. North Carolina leads the all-time series with Pitt 12-6, including a 5-4 advantage in Pittsburgh. UNC has won seven of the last 10 meetings, although Pitt has captured three of the past five. The teams last met in 2024, when Pitt earned a 34-24 victory at North Carolina. The Panthers have won three of the past five meetings and two of the last three played in Pittsburgh. Pitt has opened the season 5-0 for the second time in three years. A win Saturday would give the Panthers their fourth 3-0 ACC start under Pat Narduzzi, joining the 2015, 2021 and 2024 teams. Pitt is 4-0 at Acrisure Stadium this season and has outscored opponents 157-34 at home — an average margin of 30.8 points per game. Pitt remained unbeaten with a 35-33 road win at Virginia Tech last Friday, overcoming an early 14-0 deficit and forcing four turnovers. It marked the Panthers’ fifth consecutive road victory. The Panthers will turn to Holden Geriner after starting quarterback Mason Heintschel suffered a season-ending ACL injury at Virginia Tech. The fifth-year Geriner steps into the starting role for an offense averaging 38.4 points and 478.0 total yards per game. The Panthers are allowing just 55.6 rushing yards per game and have surrendered only three rushing touchdowns through five contests. Pitt is allowing 13.4 points per game overall. Saturday, October 10 Wake Forest at NC State | Noon ET Series: NC State leads series, 70-43-6 Last meeting: NC State, 34-24 (2025) TV: The CW SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 180 / SiriusXM 235 / SiriusXM 263 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 959 / Sirius XM 973 Saturday marks the 120th meeting between the in-state rivals. NC State leads the all-time series 70-43-6 and owns a 38-22-4 advantage at home. The teams have split their last 10 meetings, 5-5. NC State won last year's meeting 34-24 at Wake Forest, rallying after trailing 24-17 at halftime and holding the Demon Deacons scoreless over the final two quarters. The Wolfpack has won three of the last four meetings, while Wake Forest won the most recent matchup in Raleigh, 34-30 in 2024. Wake Forest has won two straight games, including a 30-27 road win at then-No. 16 Louisville and last week's 57-3 victory over Stanford. The 54-point win over Stanford marked the Demon Deacons' largest conference victory in program history. The Demon Deacons are 2-0 on the road, with wins at Purdue and Louisville. Wake Forest has scored at least 30 points in all five games this season and enters Saturday averaging 36.6 points per game. Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez has thrown for 1,377 yards and 10 touchdowns with just one interception, while adding 192 rushing yards and five scores. Lopez accounted for five touchdowns in the win over Stanford, throwing for 265 yards and two scores while rushing for 88 yards and three touchdowns. He enters Saturday with 15 total touchdowns through five games. NC State enters Saturday averaging 36.8 points and 460.0 total yards per game, including 199.2 rushing yards per contest. The Wolfpack has scored at least 30 points in four of its five games. NC State quarterback CJ Bailey has thrown for a combined 626 yards and four touchdowns over the Wolfpack's last two wins against Appalachian State and Louisville. For the season, Bailey has 1,266 passing yards and eight touchdown passes. Saturday, October 10 Stanford at No. 3 Notre Dame | 3:30 p.m. ET Series: Notre Dame leads series, 24-14 Last meeting: Notre Dame, 49-20 (2025) TV: NBC/Peacock SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 85 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 85 Stanford travels to No. 3 Notre Dame Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on NBC and Peacock at Notre Dame Stadium. The longtime rivals will once again play for the Legends Trophy. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 24-14, including a 13-5 advantage in South Bend. Despite the overall edge for the Irish, the rivalry has been much more balanced in recent years, with Stanford winning eight of the last 16 meetings. Notre Dame won the most recent meeting 49-7 at Stanford in 2024. The Fighting Irish have won the last two meetings in the series after Stanford’s 16-14 victory at Notre Dame in 2022. The Cardinal’s most recent victory in the series came at Notre Dame Stadium, a 16-14 win in 2022. Stanford has won five times in South Bend overall, giving the Cardinal recent history to draw from as it looks for an upset Saturday. Saturday will mark Stanford’s second game against a top-10 opponent this season, following its September matchup with then-No. 7 Miami. The Cardinal has not lost the turnover battle in any of its first five games and owns a +4 turnover margin. Stanford’s two turnovers are tied for the fewest in the ACC, while the Cardinal has forced at least one turnover in every game this season. Stanford quarterback Davis Warren opened the season with 167 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, tying Davis Mills’ 2020 mark for the longest such streak to begin a season in Stanford history. Stanford has produced five passing plays of at least 40 yards, including three of 50-plus yards, with both totals ranking in the top half of the ACC. Stanford will be seeking its first road victory since defeating Syracuse in its first-ever ACC game on Sept. 20, 2024. The Cardinal has dropped 13 consecutive road games entering Saturday. Notre Dame enters the weekend following a 37-26 road victory at North Carolina, continuing an unbeaten start that has elevated the Fighting Irish to No. 3 in the AP Top 25. The Fighting Irish have now won 15 consecutive games by double digits, the longest active streak in the FBS and the longest such streak in program history. Quarterback CJ Carr has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,197 yards and 13 touchdowns through five games, while adding three rushing scores. Carr accounted for a career-high five touchdowns at North Carolina, completing 21-of-29 passes for 234 yards and four scores while adding a rushing touchdown. Saturday, October 10 Duke at Georgia Tech | 3:30 p.m. ET Series: Georgia Tech leads series, 56-35-1 Last meeting: Georgia Tech, 27-18 (2025) TV: ESPN2 SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 180 / SiriusXM 235 / SiriusXM 267 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 959 / Sirius XM 977 Duke travels to Georgia Tech for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday on ESPN2 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Saturday marks the 93rd meeting in 94 seasons between Duke and Georgia Tech. The programs met for 90 consecutive seasons before not playing in 2023. Duke will become Georgia Tech's second-most-played opponent, trailing only Georgia. Georgia Tech leads the all-time series 56-35-1 and has won five consecutive meetings, its longest winning streak against Duke since taking 10 straight from 2004-13. Georgia Tech extended its series winning streak with a victory over Duke last season. The Yellow Jackets have now won each of the last five meetings after Duke had won three straight from 2017-19. Duke has won eight consecutive games dating back to last season, tied for the fourth-longest active streak nationally. The Blue Devils have won six straight ACC road games entering the contest. The Blue Devils are 4-0 for the second time in three seasons and have outscored their opponents 145-44. Duke's last outing was a 62-7 win over William & Mary. Running back Nate Sheppard has rushed for 644 yards through four games, an average of 161.0 yards per contest, after entering Week 6 as the nation's leading rusher in yards per game. The Blue Devils are No. 23 in this week's US LBM Coaches Poll and will play their first game as a ranked team since October 28, 2023, when Duke visited No. 18 Louisville. The Yellow Jackets are an impressive 7-1 against nationally ranked ACC opponents under head coach Brent Key. Georgia Tech was unranked for all seven of those victories. Quarterback Alberto Mendoza is coming off a career-high 268 passing yards and two touchdowns at Stanford, while running back Justice Haynes has posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, including 107 yards against the Cardinal. Georgia Tech is one of just seven FBS teams with three players averaging at least 50 receiving yards per game: Dalen Penson (60.3), Jordan Allen (53.3) and Kevin Roche Jr. (50.0). Saturday, October 10 Virginia Tech at California | 3:30 p.m. ET Series: Series tied, 1-1 Last meeting: Virginia Tech, 42-34 (2025) TV: ACC Network SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 174 / SiriusXM 234 / SiriusXM 258 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 258 / SiriusXM 958 Virginia Tech and California have met just twice previously, with each team earning one victory. The Hokies won the 2025 meeting in Blacksburg, while Cal captured the 2003 Insight Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. Saturday will mark Virginia Tech’s first-ever trip to Berkeley. Virginia Tech opened the season 4-0 before suffering its first loss last week against Pitt, when a potential game-winning field goal attempt in the final seconds missed the mark. Virginia Tech is one of only seven FBS teams with multiple road wins over Power Four opponents this season, joining ACC counterparts Miami and Wake Forest. The Hokies have already won at Maryland and Boston College and will look to improve to 3-0 on the road Saturday. Virginia Tech enters the weekend ranked No. 1 nationally in both total tackles-for-loss and tackles-for-loss per game. Aycen Stevens has recorded at least one solo sack in all five games and leads the Hokies with 5.5 sacks, while Mylachi Williams has a team-high 7.0 tackles-for-loss. Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 434 yards against Pitt, the second-highest single-game total by a Hokies quarterback since at least 1987. He became just the third Virginia Tech quarterback during that span to eclipse 400 passing yards in a game and has already posted three 300-yard passing performances this season. California defensive back Kingston Lopa enters Week 6 as the FBS leader with five interceptions. Lopa also returned an interception for a touchdown against Syracuse. While Lopa leads the FBS in interceptions, Cal’s Aaron Hampton leads the nation with two blocked kicks. The Golden Bears have recorded nine takeaways and two defensive touchdowns, showing an ability to create impact plays on defense and special teams. California quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele exited before halftime against UNLV but was medically cleared to return and held out as a precaution. Jackson Brousseau stepped in and threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns, as the two quarterbacks combined for 395 passing yards and three touchdowns. Saturday, October 10 Syracuse at Virginia | 7:30 p.m. ET Series: Series tied, 3-3 Last meeting: Syracuse, 22-20 (2022) TV: ACC Network SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 174 / SiriusXM 234 / SiriusXM 258 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 258 / SiriusXM 958 Syracuse will make its first trip to Charlottesville since a triple-overtime thriller in 2015, when Virginia earned a 44-38 victory. Saturday wraps up a 35-day, three-game road swing for Syracuse that also included trips to Pitt and UConn. Syracuse quarterback Amari Odom tied a school record with five touchdown passes in the win over UConn. Odom completed 27-of-37 passes for 335 yards and added a rushing touchdown, accounting for six total scores. Syracuse has had 12 freshmen or sophomores start at least one game this season. Underclassmen have accounted for seven of the Orange’s 17 offensive touchdowns (41.2 percent), 499 of 666 rushing yards (74.9 percent) and 1,025 of 2,175 all-purpose yards (47.1 percent). Syracuse enters Saturday coming off its highest-scoring performance of the season, with Odom directing an offense that produced six touchdowns through the air and on the ground against UConn. The Cavaliers enter Week 6 ranked first in the ACC and sixth nationally in passing defense, allowing just 140.8 passing yards per game. Virginia’s ball security has been a strength through five games, as the Cavaliers have committed just two turnovers this season, tied for the fewest in the ACC and the fourth fewest nationally. Virginia punter Daniel Sparks has placed 11 punts inside the 20-yard line this season. He also delivered a career-long 73-yard punt last week at Florida State.