2021 ACC football schedule: Early-season game times and how to watch and stream games
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Sixty thousand fans get to return to N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium on a Thursday night and North Carolina, expected to challenge Clemson for a seat on the ACC throne, starts its season in one of the most challenging venues in the league.
That’s the type of atmosphere ACC football fans can expect in the season’s opening weekend in September now that the conference released game times and networks for the first three weeks of the 2021 season.
”Our teams are playing arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the country, which kicks off Labor Day weekend with games over five consecutive days.,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement.
The ACC also released times and network affiliates for all Thursday and Friday night games for the 2021 season, including a Friday matchup between UNC and N.C. State.
Each Triangle school plays one game on a Thursday night this season and at least one game on a Friday with N .C. State and UNC playing on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the first time since 2016.
The starting times and television designations for the remainder of the scheduled games will be announced during the season.
NC State
The Wolfpack will be the first ACC team to start the 2021 season, hosting UCF on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m. It will be the first time N.C. State will open the season at home on a Thursday since the 2016 opener against William & Mary. The last time the Pack hosted the Bulls was in 2008.
UNC
North Carolina released kickoff times and broadcast information for its football schedule, starting with its opener at Virginia Tech on Friday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
The home opener against Georgia State will be televised on the ACC’s regional sports network package (Bally Sports South in N.C.) at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11. That will be followed by Virginia on Sept. 18, also at home, at 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network. The Tar Heels get a primetime viewing slot Nov. 11 at Pittsburgh at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. And their game the day after Thanksgiving at N.C. State will either be on ABC or ESPN at 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
UNC travels to face Notre Dame on Oct. 30 with a previously announced time of 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
The broadcast schedule at times of the Tar Heels’ remaining six games -- at Georgia Tech (Sept. 25), Duke (Oct. 2), Florida State (Oct. 9), Miami (Oct. 16), Wake Forest (Nov. 6) and Wofford (Nov. 20) -- will all be determined no more than 12 days before they are played.
The Heels are coming off an 8-4 season that saw their first-ever appearance in the Orange Bowl. Expectations for the 2021 season are among the highest they’ve been in program history largely due to the return of rising junior quarterback Sam Howell.
Duke
That same night Duke takes a short trip down 85 to the Queen City to take on Charlotte in a 7 p.m. game televised by CBS Sports Network. Coming off a dismal 2-9 season, Duke at least gets to start the new season against one of the teams it defeated last season. The Blue Devils beat Charlotte, 53-19, last Oct. 31.
Duke opens the season with consecutive Friday night games. After playing at Charlotte on Sept. 3, the Blue Devils play their home opener at Wallace Wade Stadium on Sept. 10 against N.C. A&T. That game kicks off at 8 p.m. and will be televised by ACC Network.
The Blue Devils play on ACC Network the following week as well, facing Northwestern in a 4 p.m. game at Wallace Wade Stadium on Sept. 18.
Duke’s Thursday night game is Nov. 18, a 7:30 p.m. game against Louisville that will be televised by ESPN.
In addition to those four games, Duke plays home games with Kansas (Sept. 25), Georgia Tech (Oct. 9), Pittsburgh (Nov. 6) and Miami (Nov. 27) with road games at UNC (Oct. 2), Virginia (Oct. 16), Wake Forest (Oct. 30) and Virginia Tech (Nov. 13).
ACC football schedule
Thursday, Sept. 2
USF at NC State 7:30 p.m., ACCN
Friday, Sept. 3
North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m., ESPN
Duke at Charlotte, 7 p.m., CBSSN
Old Dominion at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACCN
Saturday, Sept. 4
Colgate at Boston College, Noon, ACCN
Miami vs. Alabama (Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, Atlanta, Ga.), 3:30 p.m., ABC – previously announced
UMass at Pitt, 4 p.m., ACCN
Syracuse at Ohio, 7 p.m., CBSSN
Clemson vs. Georgia (Duke’s Mayo Classic, Charlotte, N.C.), 7:30 p.m., ABC – previously announced
Northern Illinois at Georgia Tech, 7:30 p.m., ACCN
William & Mary at Virginia, 7:30 p.m., RSN
Sunday, Sept. 5
Notre Dame at Florida State, 7:30 p.m., ABC – previously announced
Monday, Sept. 6
Louisville vs. Ole Miss (Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, Atlanta, Ga.), 8 p.m., ESPN – previously announced
Friday, Sept. 10
North Carolina A&T at Duke, 8 p.m., ACCN
Saturday, Sept. 11
Boston College at UMass, TBD
Illinois at Virginia, 11 a.m., ACCN
Kennesaw State at Georgia Tech, Noon, RSN
Pitt at Tennessee, Noon, ESPN
Norfolk State at Wake Forest, Noon, ACCNX
Rutgers at Syracuse, 2 p.m., ACCN
Middle Tennessee at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCNX
South Carolina State at Clemson, 5 p.m., ACCN
Eastern Kentucky at Louisville, 7 p.m., ACCNX
Appalachian State at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU
NC State at Mississippi State, 7 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU
Georgia State at North Carolina, 7:30 p.m., RSN
Jacksonville State at Florida State, 8 p.m., ACCN
Friday, Sept. 17
UCF at Louisville, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, Sept. 18
Boston College at Temple, Noon, ESPN2 or ESPNU
Michigan State at Miami, Noon, ABC or ESPN
Western Michigan at Pitt, Noon, RSN
Virginia Tech at West Virginia, Noon, FS1
Albany at Syracuse, Noon, ACCN
Georgia Tech at Clemson, 3:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN
Florida State at Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN
Northwestern at Duke, 4 p.m., ACCN
Virginia at North Carolina, 7:30 p.m., ACCN
Furman at NC State, 7:30 p.m., RSN
Friday, Sept. 24
Wake Forest at Virginia, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Liberty at Syracuse, 8 p.m., ACCN
Thursday, Sept. 30
Virginia at Miami, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Oct. 15
Clemson at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Nov. 5
Virginia Tech at Boston College, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Thursday, Nov. 11
North Carolina at Pitt, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, Nov. 18
Louisville at Duke, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Friday, Nov. 26
North Carolina at NC State, 3:30 or 7:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN
Saturday, Dec. 4
ACC Football Championship Game, TBD, ABC
Charlotte, N.C. • Bank of America Stadium
ACC bowl games
Gasparilla Bowl – Thurs., Dec. 23, 2021, 7 p.m., ESPN
Military Bowl – Mon., Dec. 27, 2021, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Birmingham Bowl – Tues., Dec. 28, 2021, Noon, ESPN
First Responder Bowl – Tues., Dec. 28, 2021, 3:15 p.m., ESPN
Fenway Bowl – Wed., Dec. 29, 2021, 11 a.m., ESPN
Pinstripe Bowl – Wed., Dec. 29, 2021, 2:15 p.m., ESPN
Cheez-It Bowl – Wed., Dec. 29, 2021, 5:45 p.m., ESPN
Holiday Bowl – TBD
Duke’s Mayo Bowl – Thurs., Dec. 30, 2021, 11:30 a.m., ESPN
Gator Bowl – Fri., Dec. 31, 2021, 11 a.m., ESPN
Sun Bowl – Fri., Dec. 31, 2021, 12:30 p.m., CBS
CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl – Fri., Dec. 31, 2021, 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., ESPN
CFP Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl – Fri., Dec. 31, 2021, 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Peach Bowl – Thurs., Dec. 30, 2021, 7 p.m., ESPN
Fiesta Bowl – Sat., Jan. 1, 2022, 1 p.m., ESPN
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 4:19 PM.
