You have been granted one ticket per week where you can go to any ACC game. The only catch is you can’t see the same team two weeks in a row. Which game are you going to each week and what intrigues you about the matchup or location?
That question was posed to us by Jon S. in a callout for questions for our ACC mailbag. Good question, Jon! So good that we decided to devote an entire story to it. Here goes:
Week 0
Navarro: Georgia Tech versus Florida State in Dublin. Of course, I’d love to take a trip to Ireland and watch the Seminoles and Yellow Jackets. It’s a good matchup and a trip to Europe.
Raynor: Dublin! In between checking out where my great-grandparents are from, I’d love nothing more than to grab a Guinness and get an early look at Florida State’s DJ Uiagalelei — arguably the most fascinating quarterback in the league this year.
Week 1
Navarro: Miami at Florida. It’s a must-see (in my opinion) ACC-SEC rivalry matchup. Can Cam Ward lift Miami to its first win in Gainesville since 2002?
Raynor: Clemson versus Georgia in Atlanta for the Aflac Kickoff Game. That’s a game I think we all have circled. Can Clemson finally get its offense back on track? This will be an informative early litmus test.
Week 2
Navarro: BYU at SMU on a Friday night. Big 12 versus ACC. Rhett Lashlee’s crew is coming off an American Athletic Conference title and will have played twice by then. The Big 12 was 4-1 against the ACC last year.
Raynor: NC State versus Tennessee in Charlotte. It’s the most exciting game on the schedule and features two very passionate fan bases. Also, I know this is an ACC question, but I’d pick this game to see five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava play live.
Week 3
Navarro: Memphis at Florida State. Mike Norvell went 38-15 in his time at Memphis before ending up in Tallahassee. The Tigers are the favorite to win the American this year with a four-year starter at quarterback in Seth Henigan and his three top receivers back from last year.
Raynor: West Virginia at Pitt. It’s a historic matchup and is one of those games I’d love to see in person — even if the Panthers are coming off a three-win season.
Mike Norvell will coach against his former school on Sept. 14. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
Week 4
Navarro: Virginia at Coastal Carolina. It’s early enough in the season that I can check out another nonconference game, so let’s see a Group of 5 program that’s won a lot of games in recent years and plays on teal turf. James Madison visits North Carolina on the same day, so it could be a rough week for the ACC’s reputation if it loses a pair of games to Sun Belt teams.
Raynor: NC State at Clemson. There’s no telling what’s going to happen when these two teams get together. It’s chippy, it’s personal and it usually delivers. This would also be a good opportunity to see Coastal Carolina transfer quarterback Grayson McCall face a stout defense in a hostile environment.
Week 5
Navarro: Based in South Florida, I’ll be at Virginia Tech-Miami on Friday night for the ACC opener for both schools. But if I had a second choice this week, it would be Florida State at SMU.
Raynor: Virginia Tech at Miami. I’m glad to see these two teams playing each other again. It’s a fun rivalry and features two teams looking to take the next step and get back to their glory days.
Week 6
Navarro: Clemson-FSU. It’s the two best programs in the league. Easy call.
Raynor: Clemson at Florida State. This is a no-brainer. Uiagalelei against his old team? The league’s two top teams squaring off in Tallahassee? Sign me up. The only time I have been to Tallahassee was in 2018 when Clemson beat FSU so badly that the shirtless professor went viral for reading a book. I’d like a do-over.
Week 7
Navarro: Stanford at Notre Dame. I’ve never been to South Bend, and tagging along with the Cardinal for a rivalry game — these teams have played every (non-pandemic) season dating back to 1988 — seems like the perfect time to check out Troy Taylor’s team.
Raynor: This is where it gets tricky. Stanford-Notre Dame is the game I’d most want to see, but if I can’t see the same team two weeks in a row, I need to save up for Notre Dame-Georgia Tech in Week 8. So give me Syracuse at NC State. The Orange are the darlings to make noise in the ACC, and a matchup on the road at NC State in mid-October would show us just how legit Fran Brown’s inaugural team might be.
Week 8
Navarro: NC State at California. I’m not missing Miami-FSU in Week 9, so my tour of the ACC’s three newest programs ends with a trip to Berkeley and a matchup that’s never happened before.
Raynor: Notre Dame at Georgia Tech. Haynes King might be the best quarterback in the ACC in 2024. This is the perfect opportunity to see him live against one of the tougher teams Georgia Tech will face.
Week 9
Navarro: Attending FSU-Miami this week forces me to miss Manny Diaz’s return to South Florida with Duke in Week 10. Bummer.
Raynor: Florida State at Miami. Both teams want to compete for a spot in an expanded Playoff, and this is the best game on the league’s schedule in Week 9, no doubt.
Week 10
Navarro: Louisville at Clemson. I’d like to see the program that collects the most transfers in the league (Louisville) play the one that doesn’t take any (Clemson). And it should be a good matchup.
Raynor: Pitt at SMU. Something tells me Mustangs fans are pumped to be joining a power conference and will bring the energy all season. SMU’s Preston Stone should also be one of the conference’s most exciting quarterbacks.
Week 11
Navarro: Syracuse at Boston College. Having seen both Notre Dame and Florida State already on this tour, I’d take the opportunity to see two new coaches in Fran Brown for the Orange and Bill O’Brien for the Eagles take part in a longstanding rivalry.
Raynor: Florida State at Notre Dame. Uiagalelei has started two games at Notre Dame in his career — once as a true freshman in 2020 in his breakout moment at Clemson, then again as a junior in 2022 when the Tigers lost by 21 points. How will he fare in Round 3?
Week 12
Navarro: This isn’t a sexy week of matchups so I’d probably save some money and stay home — or just go hang out with Grace in Chapel Hill to see Dave Clawson’s team once.
Raynor: Wake Forest at North Carolina. Both teams will usher in new starting quarterbacks in 2024, with Wake likely turning to the well-traveled Hank Bachmeier and UNC going with either Max Johnson (also well-traveled) or third-year sophomore Conner Harrell. I’m interested to see what’s next for each program.
Week 13
Navarro: I’m heading out West to watch Stanford and Cal. The Big Game has been played 126 times, with the Cardinal leading 65-50-11. Cal has won three straight.
Raynor: Stanford at Cal. This is now one of the best rivalries in the ACC!!!
Week 14
Navarro: I’d probably wait until the final moment to see which game meant the most in terms of clinching a spot in the ACC Championship Game. But if we’ve already determined that, I’d go to Tallahassee to catch another rivalry game as the Noles host Florida.
Raynor: Florida at Florida State. What will be the status of Florida’s Billy Napier by then? Where will FSU be in the Playoff picture? The storylines by late November, with both teams, could be endless.
(Top photos of Cade Klubnik, Jaydn Ott: Ken Ruinard, Robert Edwards / USA Today)
