Football September 11, 2026 Week 2 Saturday Preview: ACC Football Set for Nine-Game Saturday Slate CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – ACC Football continues its Week 2 schedule with a nine-game Saturday slate on September 12, featuring eight non-conference matchups and one league contest across ESPN, ESPN2, ACC Network, The CW, FS1 and ACCNX. Saturday’s action is highlighted by a primetime matchup in Atlanta, where Georgia Tech welcomes No. 18 Tennessee to Bobby Dodd Stadium at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, the site of ACC Huddle. The ACC will also square off twice against the Big Ten, with Duke traveling to Illinois at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and Wake Forest visiting Purdue at noon ET on FS1. Pitt hosts UCF at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, while Old Dominion visits Virginia Tech at noon ET on The CW. Conference play continues at 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network when California travels to Syracuse. North Carolina opens the day against East Tennessee State at noon ET on ACC Network, No. 17 SMU hosts UC Davis at 4 p.m. ET on ACCNX, and Clemson closes out the ACC Network schedule against Georgia Southern at 7:30 p.m. ET. Saturday, September 12 East Tennessee State at North Carolina | Noon ET Series: First-ever meeting Last meeting: N/A TV: ACC Network SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 177 / SiriusXM 235 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 959 Saturday will mark the first meeting all-time between North Carolina and ETSU. North Carolina returns to action following a Week 1 bye and will play its 2026 home opener, hosting East Tennessee State at Kenan Stadium. The Tar Heels opened the season with a 15-10 victory over TCU in Dublin, Ireland, on August 29. The matchup begins the 100th season of football at Kenan Stadium. North Carolina will play six home games in Chapel Hill this season. North Carolina enters Saturday riding a 25-game winning streak against FCS opponents. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. completed 19-of-26 passes for 232 yards in the season-opening victory over TCU, while tight end Jelani Thurman led the Tar Heels with 94 receiving yards. North Carolina’s defense delivered a dominant season-opening performance against TCU, holding the Horned Frogs to 281 total yards and scoreless over the final 49 minutes. The Tar Heels recorded three sacks, forced a fumble and stopped TCU on four of its five fourth-down attempts, including two second-half stops inside the UNC 10-yard line. ETSU enters the matchup at 1-1, bouncing back from a 49-37 season-opening loss to Campbell with a 48-14 victory over Tusculum in Week 1. The Buccaneers totaled 484 yards of offense in the win, including 225 on the ground. ETSU quarterback Mason Mims has thrown for 615 yards through two games. The redshirt freshman opened the season by completing 33-of-41 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns against Campbell before throwing for 242 yards and three scores against Tusculum. Buccaneers running back TJ Peyton is averaging 100.5 rushing yards per game and has scored three rushing touchdowns this season. Peyton rushed for 121 yards on just 11 carries with two touchdowns in last week's win. Saturday, September 12 Old Dominion at Virginia Tech | Noon ET Series: Virginia Tech leads series, 4-3 Last meeting: Old Dominion, 45-26 (2025) TV: The CW SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 121 / SiriusXM 236 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 960 Virginia Tech and Old Dominion meet for the eighth time, with the Hokies holding a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series. The in-state programs have split the last four meetings, 2-2. The Hokies will look to avenge last season’s 45-26 loss to Old Dominion in Blacksburg. The Monarchs have won two of the last four meetings with Virginia Tech, also earning a 20-17 victory in Norfolk in 2022. Saturday features a matchup between coaches with an extensive history together. Virginia Tech's James Franklin and ODU's Ricky Rahne worked together at Kansas State, Vanderbilt and Penn State, with Rahne serving on Franklin's staff for nine seasons. It will mark the first time Franklin has faced one of his former assistants as a head coach. Virginia Tech opened the James Franklin era in impressive fashion with a 73-3 victory over VMI, scoring its most points in a game since 2016. The Hokies will look to start 2-0 for the first time since 2023. Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer was efficient in his Hokie debut, throwing for 224 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. rushed for 104 yards and two scores on just nine carries against VMI. Virginia Tech’s defense overwhelmed VMI in the season opener, holding the Keydets to just 83 total yards, the fewest allowed by the Hokies since holding Clemson to 60 yards in 1987. Tech also totaled 18 tackles-for-loss, five sacks and an interception, while limiting VMI to only 32 yards in the first half. Old Dominion enters Blacksburg with plenty of momentum, having won seven consecutive games dating back to last season, tied for the third-longest active winning streak nationally. The Monarchs opened 2026 with a 31-10 victory over Norfolk State. The Monarchs are coming off one of the best seasons in program history, finishing 10-3 in 2025 and defeating South Florida in the Cure Bowl. Two of ODU's three losses came against eventual College Football Playoff participants Indiana and James Madison. ODU quarterback Quinn Henicle accounted for four touchdowns in the Monarchs’ 31-10 season-opening win over Norfolk State, throwing for two scores and rushing for two more. Defensively, DeAndre Lynch led the way with a career-high 10 tackles, while Koa Naotala added nine stops and two tackles-for-loss. Saturday, September 12 Wake Forest at Purdue | Noon ET Series: Purdue leads series, 4-1 Last meeting: Purdue, 16-10 (2003) TV: FS1 SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 179 / SiriusXM 234 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 958 Wake Forest and Purdue meet for the sixth time overall and the first time since 2003, with the Boilermakers holding a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Demon Deacons’ lone victory came in their most recent trip to West Lafayette, a 24-21 win in 2002. The Demon Deacons opened their second season under head coach Jake Dickert with a convincing 38-16 victory over Akron, building a 38-3 advantage before the Zips scored twice late in the fourth quarter. Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez impressed in his Demon Deacon debut, throwing for 350 yards and three touchdowns. Lopez quickly established a connection with wide receiver Carlos Hernandez, who caught five passes for 165 yards and a touchdown against Akron. Hernandez's performance included a 72-yard touchdown reception. Wake Forest also showed balance offensively in its opener, as running back Ty Clark III rushed for 105 yards. Purdue opened its 2026 campaign with a 44-19 win over Indiana State, piling up 523 yards of total offense and scoring 28 second-half points. It marked the Boilermakers' first 500-yard offensive performance since 2024. Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne completed 23-of-29 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opening victory, recording the fourth 300-yard passing performance of his career. Purdue produced 11 completions of at least 15 yards in the win. Purdue's defense held Indiana State to just 66 rushing yards, including 10 yards on 11 carries by Sycamore running backs, while totaling eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks. Defensive back Don Saunders added a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown. Saturday, September 12 UCF at Pitt | 3:30 p.m. ET Series: Pitt leads series, 2-1 Last meeting: Pitt, 35-34 (2019) TV: ESPN2 SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 121 / SiriusXM 236 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 960 Pitt and UCF will meet for the fourth time, with the Panthers holding a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series. The teams split a home-and-home series in 2018 and 2019, with UCF winning 45-14 in Orlando before Pitt answered with a 35-34 victory in Pittsburgh. The last meeting produced one of Pitt’s most memorable finishes in recent history. In 2019, the Panthers used the “Pitt Special” on fourth-and-goal, with wide receiver Aaron Matthews finding quarterback Kenny Pickett for the go-ahead touchdown with 56 seconds remaining, snapping UCF’s 25-game regular-season winning streak. Pitt opened the 2026 season with an explosive offensive performance in a 59-14 win over Miami (Ohio), totaling an ACC-best 646 yards of offense, including 480 through the air, while averaging 8.61 yards per play. Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel made ACC history in Week 1, completing 31-of-41 passes for 453 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. His seven touchdown passes established an ACC single-game record and tied Pitt’s program record. Heintschel became the first FBS quarterback since LSU’s Joe Burrow in 2019 to throw for at least 450 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception. He also led the ACC in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense (476 yards) in Week 1. UCF was equally impressive in its opener, rolling to a 73-6 victory over Bethune-Cookman. The 73 points tied a program record, while the Knights piled up 560 total yards, including 360 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. UCF quarterback Alonza Barnett III, the 2025 Sun Belt Player of the Year at James Madison, accounted for both a passing and rushing touchdown in his Knights debut. The Knights showed considerable depth in the backfield against Bethune-Cookman, as Duke Watson rushed for 110 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown on his first carry as a Knight, while Landen Chambers scored twice. UCF running backs accounted for five of the team's seven rushing touchdowns. Saturday, September 12 California at Syracuse | 3:30 p.m. ET Series: Syracuse leads series, 2-1 Last meeting: Syracuse, 33-25 (2024) TV: ACC Network SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 179 / SiriusXM 234 / SiriusXM 258 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 958 California and Syracuse open ACC play Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The matchup is Cal’s first road game of 2026 and the Orange’s second straight home contest. Saturday marks just the fourth all-time meeting between the programs. Syracuse owns a 2-1 series advantage, including a 33-25 victory at California in 2024 in the schools’ first meeting as ACC opponents. Cal will make its first trip to Syracuse since 1967 and its first-ever appearance inside the JMA Wireless Dome. The Golden Bears are seeking their first road victory over the Orange; their lone series win came 43-0 in Berkeley in 1968. Cal looks to rebound from a 45-24 season-opening loss to UCLA in Berkeley. Saturday will mark the Golden Bears’ ACC debut under first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi, a former Cal defensive lineman and assistant coach who returned to Berkeley after four seasons as Oregon’s defensive coordinator. Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele returns after one of the ACC’s top freshman seasons in 2025, when he threw for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing 64.5 percent of his passes. Syracuse opened the season with a convincing 66-3 win over New Hampshire, piling up 513 yards of total offense while limiting the Wildcats to just 155. The Orange defense registered five sacks and forced three turnovers. Quarterback Steve Angeli began his second season at Syracuse by throwing for 263 yards in the opener. The Orange displayed plenty of offensive balance, with 10 different players recording a reception and Syracuse converting 8-of-14 third-down opportunities. Saturday, September 12 Duke at Illinois | 3:30 p.m. ET Series: Illinois leads series, 2-1 Last meeting: Illinois, 45-19 (2025) TV: FS1 SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 177 / SiriusXM 235 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 959 Saturday marks the fourth all-time meeting between Duke and Illinois, with the Fighting Illini holding a 2-1 series advantage. Illinois won 45-19 at Duke last season, while the Blue Devils' lone victory in the series came in 1958. Both programs enter the matchup 1-0 after season-opening victories. The matchup features two of the Power Four’s most successful programs over the last two seasons. Duke has won 19 games since the start of 2024, while Illinois has recorded 20 victories during that span. Defending ACC Champion Duke hits the road for the first time in 2026, traveling to Champaign to face Illinois on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Duke opened its ACC title defense with a 17-3 victory over Tulane, holding a Green Wave team that reached the College Football Playoff last season without a touchdown. The Blue Devils’ running back Nate Sheppard erupted for 227 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Tulane. The Blue Devils are coming off consecutive nine-win seasons for just the second time in program history. Duke went 9-4 in 2025, capturing the ACC Championship and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl title in Manny Diaz's second season. Illinois opened the 2026 season with a 42-23 win over UAB, extending its non-conference winning streak to 10 games. In his Fighting Illini debut, quarterback Katin Houser completed 13-of-17 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score, accounting for four touchdowns in the victory. Saturday, September 12 UC Davis at #17 SMU | 4 p.m. ET Series: First-ever meeting Last meeting: N/A TV: ACC Network Extra SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 110 / SiriusXM 250 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 966 SMU welcomes UC Davis to Dallas for its 2026 home opener after opening the season with a dramatic 27-24 ACC road victory at Florida State on Labor Day earlier this week. Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between SMU and UC Davis. The Mustangs piled up 585 yards of total offense against Florida State, the most SMU has recorded against an ACC opponent in program history. SMU finished with 23 first downs and converted 8-of-14 third-down opportunities while not allowing a sack. Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 430 yards and three touchdowns in the victory at Florida State, completing 26-of-36 passes. Jennings' performance was one of three 400-yard passing games by a quarterback in all of FBS on the season. Yannick Smith eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark against the Seminoles, finishing with 107 yards for the fourth 100-yard receiving performance of his career. Kevin Raphael paced the SMU rushing attack with 75 yards on 12 carries. SMU's defense made plays when it mattered against Florida State, recording eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks while limiting the Seminoles to just 2-of-15 on third down. UC Davis presents a significant FCS challenge, entering Saturday 2-0 and ranked No. 6 nationally after road victories over Portland State and San Diego. The Aggies are coming off a 49-17 win at San Diego and will play their third consecutive road game to begin the season. Aggies quarterback Treynor Cleeland threw five touchdown passes in last week's win at San Diego, finishing 22-of-31 for 294 yards. In just his second collegiate start, Cleeland came within one touchdown pass of matching UC Davis' single-game school record. UC Davis wide receiver Samuel Gbatu Jr. is one of the top playmakers in the FCS. The Walter Payton Award preseason watch list selection caught nine passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns against San Diego, recording the 11th 100-yard receiving game of his career. Saturday, September 12 #18 Tennessee at Georgia Tech | 7 p.m. ET Series: Tennessee leads series, 25-17-2 Last meeting: Tennessee, 42-41 (2OT) (2017) TV: ESPN SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 179 / SiriusXM 234 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 958 Georgia Tech hosts No. 18 Tennessee in a primetime ACC-SEC matchup Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN from Bobby Dodd Stadium. It will mark the 45th all-time meeting between the longtime regional rivals but just their second matchup in the last 39 seasons. Tennessee leads the all-time series, 25-17-2, with the Volunteers winning the most recent meeting, a 42-41 double-overtime thriller in the 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. The teams met nearly annually from 1954-87. Georgia Tech looks to bounce back following a heartbreaking 14-13 loss to Colorado in its season opener. The Yellow Jackets drove into field-goal range in the final seconds, but their potential game-winning 45-yard field goal was blocked as time expired. Quarterback Alberto Mendoza impressed in his first collegiate start for Georgia Tech, completing 17-of-23 passes for 237 yards without an interception. Wide receiver Jordan Allen established career highs with eight receptions and 113 receiving yards. Georgia Tech also received an explosive special-teams performance from Rahkeem Smith, who recorded a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Colorado — just the fifth 100-yard kickoff return in program history. Saturday will mark Tennessee’s first trip to Bobby Dodd Stadium in 40 years. Georgia Tech won the last meeting on The Flats, 14-13, in 1986. Tennessee opened its season with a 56-9 victory over Furman, totaling 638 yards of offense, including 329 on the ground. True freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon accounted for five touchdowns, passing for 226 yards and three scores while adding 68 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Saturday, September 12 Georgia Southern at Clemson | 7:30 p.m. ET Series: Clemson leads series, 1-0 Last meeting: Clemson, 38-7 (2018) TV: ACC Network SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 177 / SiriusXM 235 SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 959 Clemson and Georgia Southern have met just once previously, with the Tigers earning a 38-7 victory at Memorial Stadium in 2018. Clemson totaled 595 yards in that win during its 15-0 national championship season. Clemson makes its 2026 home debut Saturday night, hosting Georgia Southern at 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network at Memorial Stadium. The contest is Clemson’s annual Stripe the Valley game and will also feature Football Reunion Day and Hall of Fame Day. The Tigers will look to bounce back from a season-opening 51-10 loss at No. 11/13 LSU in Baton Rouge. Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton recorded an interception on LSU’s second play from scrimmage, while David Eziomume scored his first career touchdown. Clemson wide receiver T.J. Moore enters Saturday riding a 28-game reception streak, having caught at least one pass in every game of his Clemson career. Moore surpassed 1,500 career receiving yards and recorded his 100th career reception in the season opener at LSU. Georgia Southern enters the matchup 1-0 after a dominant 31-0 season-opening win over Charleston Southern, producing 513 yards of offense while limiting the Buccaneers to just 117 total yards and eight rushing yards. The Eagles' defense also recorded six sacks and two takeaways. Veteran quarterback Max Johnson leads the Georgia Southern offense after previous stops at LSU, Texas A&M and North Carolina. Johnson completed 28-of-39 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown without an interception in the season opener. Johnson is familiar with Clemson, having started for North Carolina against the Tigers last season. He completed 26-of-42 passes for 213 yards in Clemson’s 38-10 victory in Chapel Hill. Georgia Southern is coming off a 7-6 campaign and a Birmingham Bowl victory in 2025. Under fifth-year head coach Clay Helton, the Eagles have reached a bowl game in each of his first four seasons and entered 2026 picked fourth in the Sun Belt East.