Among the four ACC games to watch in week one of college football2026, we've got TCU against North Carolina in Dublin, a game that should set the tone early, especially with Bill Belichick's new era at UNC. Florida State versus New Mexico State is more about how sharp the Seminoles look. NC State versus Virginia carries that unusual venue change wrinkle, and could be tighter than expected. And then Stanford versus Hawaii, quietly intriguing, especially if Stanford struggles to generate offense consistently. People tend to overlook Hawaii, but that can make for a sneaky good game. Four games, four different storylines. If I had to pick one potential surprise, I'd keep an eye on Stanford Hawaii. Week 1 carries a very light schedule of only 8 games, but things really heat up quick in week 2 which begins on Thursday night of Labor Day weekend in which over 80 games are on the schedule, ending Labor Day night. 

Projections for week 2 will be posted early next week after the week 1 rankings are published Sunday afternoon, August 30, 2026

Richard Billingsley

Richard Billingsley

Published Aug 25, 2026