Football

ACC Football Headlines Friday & Saturday Nights in Week 5

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Atlantic Coast Conference football enters Week 5 with nine games across Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3, highlighted by conference matchups throughout the weekend, three undefeated teams in action and a marquee Saturday night showdown on ABC.
 
The weekend begins Friday night with Pitt traveling to Virginia Tech for a 7 p.m. ET conference matchup between two undefeated teams on ESPN. Saturday features four games in the noon ET window, headlined by North Carolina hosting No. 3 Notre Dame on ESPN, while No. 21 SMU welcomes Boston College on The CW and Stanford visits Wake Forest on ACC Network.
 
Conference play continues Saturday afternoon with Virginia traveling to Florida State on ESPN2 and Louisville visiting NC State on ACC Network. The Week 5 slate concludes in prime time with No. 4 Miami traveling to Clemson for a 7:30 p.m. ET showdown on ABC.
 
The Saturday slate also includes a pair of non-conference road contests, as Syracuse visits UConn at noon ET and California travels to UNLV at 3:30 p.m. ET, with both games airing on CBS Sports Network.
 

Week 5 - ACC Football Schedule
(All Times Eastern)

Friday, October 2
Pitt at Virginia Tech | 7 p.m. | ESPN
 
Saturday, October 3
#3 Notre Dame at North Carolina | Noon | ESPN
Stanford at Wake Forest | Noon | ACC Network
Boston College at #21 SMU | Noon | The CW
Syracuse at UConn | Noon | CBS Sports Network
Virginia at Florida State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Louisville at NC State | 3:30 p.m. | ACC Network
California at UNLV | 3:30 p.m. | CBS Sports Network
#4 Miami at Clemson | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
 

ACC Football Notes
 
ACC Teams Building Strong Resumes
  • The ACC has four undefeated teams entering Week 5: Duke, Miami, Pitt and Virginia Tech.
  • Duke, Pitt and Virginia Tech are all 4-0 while remaining outside the AP Top 25.
  • Duke has won eight straight games dating to last season and has outscored opponents 145-44 (+101) this year.
  • Virginia Tech is 4-0 for the first time since 2017 and owns two Power Four road victories.
  • Pitt is 4-0 with a +123-scoring margin (157-34) while allowing only 8.5 points per game.
  • Wake Forest owns two Power Four road wins, including a victory at then-No. 16 Louisville, while its only loss is to current No. 4 Miami.
 
ACC Depth Showing in ESPN Metrics
  • Eight ACC teams rank in ESPN’s FPI Top 40, representing nearly half of the conference (8 of 17) and 20 percent of the entire Top 40.
  • The ACC also has six teams in ESPN’s Top 25 Strength of Record, tied for the second-most of any conference.
  • Duke (No. 10) and Miami (No. 14) lead the ACC in ESPN Strength of Record.
 
Tested Against the Best
  • The ACC has played 15 non-conference games against Power Four teams, the most of any Power Four conference through Week 4.
  • Nine of those 15 games have been played away from ACC home fields — six true road games and three neutral-site contests.
  • ACC teams own six non-conference Power Four wins, the second-most among all of the Power Four conferences.
  • All 17 ACC teams are scheduled to play at least 10 Power Four + Notre Dame opponents this season — the most of any conference.
  • Three of the five FBS teams scheduled for 11 or more Power Four + Notre Dame games are from the ACC: Boston College, Georgia Tech and Louisville.
 
ACC: The Conference of QBs
  • ACC quarterbacks have produced an FBS-best 19 300-yard passing performances and an FBS-best six 400-yard passing performances.
  • Seven ACC quarterbacks have topped 1,000 passing yards, the most of any conference.
  • The ACC has a conference-best six quarterbacks among the FBS top 25 in passing yards per game.
  • Five ACC quarterbacks rank among the national top 20 in total offense, also the most of any conference.
  • Four ACC quarterbacks already have 11+ touchdown passes: Darian Mensah (14), Mason Heintschel (13), Kevin Jennings (12) and Beau Pribula (11).
  • Seven ACC quarterbacks rank among ESPN’s top 35 in Total QBR, led by Miami’s Darian Mensah at No. 1.
 
Offensive Firepower Across the ACC
  • Nine different ACC teams have already scored at least 56 points in a game — more teams than accomplished the feat during the entire 2025 season.
  • Miami and SMU rank No. 1 and No. 2 nationally in total offense, respectively.
  • The ACC averaged 34.1 points per game in Week 4 — the most of any FBS conference — while allowing an FBS-low 17.5 points per game.
  • The ACC leads the FBS with 28 100-yard rushing performances from 20 different players.
 
Mensah’s Historic Start
  • Miami QB Darian Mensah leads the nation in passing touchdowns (14), completion percentage (88.7%), passing efficiency (228.2) and ESPN Total QBR (93.9).
  • Mensah has 14 touchdown passes against just 12 incompletions — the only FBS QB since 2004 with at least 50 pass attempts through his team’s first four games to have more touchdown passes than incompletions.
  • He has completed at least 85 percent of his passes with three or more TDs and zero interceptions in all four games this season.
  • Mensah is just the sixth FBS quarterback this century with three or more TD passes and zero interceptions in each of his first four games.
 
Sheppard Leading the Nation
  • Duke RB Nate Sheppard leads the nation in rushing yards (644), rushing yards per game (161.0) and all-purpose yards per game (178.5). He is second in total touchdowns (9) and scoring (13.5 ppg), and fifth in rushing touchdowns (6).
  • Sheppard has rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown in all four games this year, tied for the second-longest streak to begin a season by an ACC player since at least 1996 (Tiki Barber – 8 in 1996). The only other FBS player in 2026 with as many such performances as Sheppard is Florida’s Jadan Baugh.
  • Sheppard became only the third ACC underclassmen this century with eight scrimmage touchdowns through his team’s first three games, joining James Conner (2014) and Lamar Jackson (2016).
 
Impact on Both Sides
  • Six ACC teams rank among the FBS Top 25 in total defense, led by No. 2 Miami.
  • Miami ranks No. 1 nationally in rushing defense, while Pitt ranks No. 3 in scoring defense.
  • Virginia Tech leads the nation in tackles-for-loss per game (11.3) and ranks No. 3 in sacks per game (4.25).
  • ACC players lead the FBS in multiple individual categories, including passes defended, interceptions, sacks, tackles-for-loss and field goals.
 
Enhanced Replay Access Expands
  • The ACC continues to expand Enhanced Replay Access in 2026, giving audiences greater access to real-time replay discussions during broadcasts.
  • The initiative was utilized for 22 games across Weeks 0-3, up from five over the same span in 2025. Eight more games featured Enhanced Replay Access in Week 4, including a record seven on Saturday alone.
  • Enhanced Replay Access provides live audio and video among the referee, stadium replay official and ACC Collaborative Instant Replay Official in Charlotte, while four new cameras inside the Game Day Operations Center provide ESPN and ACCN audiences another look inside the conference's replay operations.
 
ACC Football Fridays
  • ACC Football Fridays continue this week with a matchup of 4-0 teams, as Pitt visits Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
  • The ACC will play a record 15 Friday games in 2026, including nine over the season's first six weeks.
  • Friday night football continues throughout October and November, culminating with Florida at Florida State on Black Friday.