August 26, 2013
Here is your ACC road trip for the 2013 season. You will be seeing a game at every stadium in the league. Enjoy.
9/2 (Mon) - Florida State @ Pitt - A big football game on Monday night is nothing new at Heinz Field. The difference here is this game involves the Panthers instead of the Steelers. It is Pitt’s ACC debut, and they start with a perennial power in primetime.
9/7 - Florida @ Miami - I always appreciate this non-conference game. Florida State plays both these teams annually, but these two haven’t played since 2008. With sanctions looming over the program, Al Golden is trying to bring the U back to its former glory. The Canes have 18 starters back and are in need of a win over an in-state rival.
9/14 - Georgia Tech @ Duke -”This would be a much better basketball game.” Keep that line in mind. It will come up frequently during this particular road trip. The Yellow Jackets have nine straight in the series by an average of 21 points per game.
9/19 (Thr) - Clemson @ NC State - The Tigers are 4-1 in this series over the last five years. Last season, NC State ruined Florida State’s shot at playing for a national title. If Clemson, gets by Georgia in week one, they’ll have similar dreams entering this game.
9/28 - Florida State @ Boston College - The Eagles have fallen on hard times the last few years going 4-8 and 2-10. This year Steve Addazio takes over as coach and has 18 returning starters to work with. He’ll need all the help he can get against the Noles. The 51 points FSU put up last season were the most BC has allowed since 2000.
10/5 - NC State @ Wake Forest - The home team has taken care of business six consecutive years. Wake Forest will be coming off a game with Clemson, so they may be ripe for a loss.
10/12 - Virginia @ Maryland - Both teams are coming off 4-8 seasons. The road team has won the last four in the series. Enjoy one last ACC game for the Terps before they move to the Big Ten.
10/19 - Florida State @ Clemson - This game will likely decide the Atlantic Division championship. It’s not the Bowden Bowl any more, but it has become the marquee game in the ACC the last few years.
10/26 - Georgia Tech @ Virginia - It is Homecoming in Charlottesville. The home team has won 15 of the last 18 in the series. After holding on for a 3-point win in 2011, the Cavaliers allowed 56 points to the Jackets last year.
11/2 - Miami, FL @ Florida State - Once the game of the year in college football, this game has lost its luster since the Canes joined the ACC. Not exactly what the league was looking for when they sent the invitation. Ten of the last 12 have been decided by a TD or less. Even if the luster is gone, this game is still a must see in the ACC.
11/9 - Virginia @ North Carolina - This one is the ACC’s longest running rivalry. The Wahoos and the Heels have played every year since 1919. UNC hasn’t won four in a row since 1979-82. Larry Fedora returns 13 starters in his 2nd season and hopes to contend in the Coastal division.
11/16 - Maryland @ Virginia Tech - The hostile Hokie crowd would like nothing more than to send Maryland off with a Blacksburg beat down. That really wouldn’t be anything new. Va Tech has won five straight by an average of 26 points per game.
11/23 - Pitt @ Syracuse - It’s the second year in a row these teams have played in the Carrier Dome. Their move to the ACC meant more for the basketball fans, so this one will likely have the same feel between these classic rivals.
11/30 - Georgia @ Georgia Tech - It is one of three SEC-ACC clashes on Thanksgiving weekend. This is the only won at an ACC stadium. Tech is just 1-11 in the last 12 meetings. Last year the Bulldogs routed their in-state rials 42-10. Tech’s best chance at a win is catching a depressed Georgia team that finds itself out of the BCS & SEC chase.
Is this finally the year it happens? Since the league expanded to 12 teams in 2005, Florida State and Miami have never played for the league title. I think the wait continues. I predict Clemson to win the league over Virginia Tech.
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