ACC Kicks Off Football Season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference football season kicks off Saturday, August 29, with four games across three networks, highlighted by an international opener and the nation’s only Week 0 conference matchup.
North Carolina opens the season against TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at noon ET on ESPN from Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The matchup marks the ACC’s third appearance in the event since 2016.
At 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, NC State travels to Virginia for the only conference matchup involving an FBS league during Week 0. The game will count in the ACC standings after being relocated from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Charlottesville, Virginia.
A pair of 7 p.m. ET home games close out the Week 0 slate, as New Mexico State visits Florida State on The CW and Stanford hosts Hawaii on ACC Network. A pair of Week 0 games—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.
(Photo courtesy: On3)