CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference football season kicks off Saturday, August 29, with five ACC teams competing across four Week 0 matchups. North Carolina will open the season on the international stage against TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, while NC State and Virginia meet in the first conference game of the season. Florida State will host New Mexico State, and Stanford will welcome Hawai’i to close out the opening-day slate.

A pair of Week 0 contests—NC State at Virginia and New Mexico State at Florida State—will feature the ACC’s Enhanced Instant Replay Access, giving viewers live access to real-time replay discussions during the broadcasts.
 

• North Carolina leads the all-time series, 3-1. The Tar Heels won the first three meetings in 1940, 1994 and 1997 before TCU earned its first series victory last season.
• The programs will open the season against one another for the second consecutive year and will meet in back-to-back seasons for the first time in series history.
• North Carolina’s trip to Dublin, Ireland, marks the ACC’s third time playing in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The ACC will return to Ireland in 2027 as Pitt is set to play Wisconsin.
• The Week 0 matchup marks the first international game in the history of both programs and the fifth consecutive season in which the college football season begins with a game in Dublin.
• Billy Edwards Jr. has been named the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback. Edwards spent four seasons in the Big Ten at Maryland and Wisconsin, throwing for 3,435 yards.
• North Carolina is led defensively by Preseason All-American and All-ACC DE Melkart Abou Jaoude, who led the conference with 10.5 sacks last season.
• Jordan Shipp returns to Chapel Hill after being the Tar Heels’ top receiver in 2025 with 671 yards and six touchdowns.
• TCU is coming off a 9-4 season capped by a 30-27 overtime victory over No. 16 USC in the Alamo Bowl. The Horned Frogs closed the season with three consecutive wins.
• TCU will also debut a new starting quarterback, as Harvard transfer Jaden Craig takes over the offense. Craig left Harvard as the program’s career leader in passing yards (6,074) and touchdown passes (52) and set single-season school records with 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025.
• TCU’s defense returns safety Jamel Johnson, who totaled 96 tackles and led the Big 12 with five interceptions last season.

• NC State leads the all-time series, 38-22-1, and has won four consecutive meetings. The Wolfpack is 4-0 against Virginia under head coach Dave Doeren.
• The Week 0 matchup will serve as the season opener and ACC opener for both teams. Originally scheduled for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the game remained in Week 0 through an NCAA waiver after being relocated to Charlottesville.
• The teams will meet for the second consecutive season. The 2025 matchup was a non-conference contest, while this year’s game will count in the ACC standings as the league transitions to a nine-game conference schedule.
• Both programs enter 2026 following bowl-winning seasons. Virginia posted a program-record 11 victories, reached the ACC Football Championship Game and defeated Missouri in the Gator Bowl. NC State finished 8-5 and earned a 31-7 victory over Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl.
• NC State quarterback CJ Bailey returns after throwing for 3,105 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025. Against Virginia last season, Bailey passed for 200 yards and accounted for three touchdowns—two rushing and one passing.
• Virginia is expected to start Missouri transfer Beau Pribula at quarterback. In 10 starts for the Tigers last season, Pribula completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,941 yards and 11 touchdowns while adding 297 rushing yards and six scores.
• The Cavaliers return one of the ACC’s most experienced offensive lines. Noah Josey leads active Virginia players with 43 career starts, while McKale Boley has made 36 starts and enters the season having started 22 consecutive games.

• This is the first meeting between Florida State and New Mexico State since 1964 – a 36-0 shutout win for the Seminoles.
• After logging more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2025, Duce Robinson leads the Florida State offense again in 2026. Robinson became the first FSU receiver to log a 1,000-yard season since 2019.
• Named the starting quarterback coming out of spring practice, Ashton Daniels, who played at Auburn last year in 2025, returns to the ACC after leading Stanford in their inaugural season in the ACC in 2024.
• The Seminoles’ backfield features sophomore Ousmane Kromah and Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner, both of whom were named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List. Wisner brings 1,734 career rushing yards and 66 receptions from his three seasons with the Longhorns.
• FSU looks to improve upon its 5-7 (2-6 ACC) season from 2025. The Seminoles’ last bowl appearance came in 2023 after going 13-0 and winning the ACC Football Championship Game.
• Saturday is NM State’s first game against a current ACC member since November 9, 2013, when the Aggies hosted Boston College.
• NM State is 0-10 all-time against the current members of the ACC.
• The Aggies have named Furman transfer Trey Hedden as their starting quarterback. Hedden threw for more than 4,700 yards over two seasons with the Paladins.

• Stanford leads the all-time series, 4-1, but Hawai’i won last season’s opener, 23-20, on a 38-yard field goal.
• The teams, which met just three times from 1946-2024, will open the season against each other for the second straight year.
• Tavita Pritchard will make his head-coaching debut for Stanford after three seasons as quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders.
• A former Stanford quarterback and assistant coach, Pritchard led the Cardinal’s historic 24-23 upset of No. 2 USC in 2007 as a 41-point underdog.
• Michigan transfer Davis Warren will start at quarterback for Stanford. He started nine games in 2024, completing 64.1 percent of his passes for 1,199 yards and seven touchdowns, before missing 2025 with a torn ACL.
• Stanford linebacker Matt Rose returns after earning Second-Team All-ACC honors in 2025. He ranked second in the ACC with 106 tackles—the most by a Cardinal player since 2015—and added eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks.
• Hawai’i enters 2026 following a 9-4 season capped by a 35-31 win over California in the Hawai’i Bowl. The Rainbow Warriors earned their most victories since 2019, with wins over Stanford and Cal bookending the season.
• Hawai’i quarterback Micah Alejado, the 2025 Mountain West Freshman of the Year, returns after throwing for 3,106 yards and a league-leading 24 touchdowns. He was named the 2026 Mountain West Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
• Hawai’i head coach Timmy Chang enters his fifth season leading his alma mater after earning 2025 AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year honors and guiding Hawai’i to its first bowl appearance and nine-win season since 2019.