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@AllSportsDACC and I (@TalkinACCSports ) are looking to get you ready for the football season. We were happy to have Najeh Wilkens @najehwilk of https://www.si.com/college/georgiatech.  It was great having Najeh on for the first time, and we hope to have him back in the future!

In this order, these are the topics we covered on the podcast. It’s episode 599

@najehwilk tells us about himself

Georgia Tech basketball 

Major Strengths coming back for football team

Major Weaknesses coming back for football team

New recruits or transfers that have impressed

Will Georgia Tech be better than last year? 2 Most Important games

Pulse of Program for Georgia Tech  fans

Open Microphone

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We are one game into the season, and NC State’s season already has red flags written all over it. NC State went to Virginia and got trounced 34-8. Virginia got up 17-0 and just cruised the rest of the way. Most concerning was how badly NC State got beat up front. It was a total mismatch in the trenches.

NC State lost a lot of skill position talent, but QB CJ Bailey was back, and there was a fair amount of optimism that’s now gone.

The Wolfpack have a fairly soft schedule where they avoid SMU and Miami. They are likely going to find their way to a bowl, and win 6 or 7 regular season games. Sure, going on a run and finishing the regular season 9-3, 10-2 could change the narrative, but did the team we saw Satruday really look equipped to pull off something like that?

Dave Doeren has been at NC State since 2013 and has been to 11 bowl games. There have been 8 8 or 9-win seasons.  NC State is rarely terrible, usually pulls off an ACC upset somewhere along the way, and by the end of the year the results are reasonable.

This season, even through just 1 game, already has that feel that this won’t be the year NC State truly turns the corner. Unless the bottom just falls out on the season, which I don’t expect will happen, then the NC State administration will have a decision to make at year’s end.

What’s good enough at NC State? Mediocre to decent football? There’s always a risk in changing coaches. NC State could end up with a Geoff Collins-like Georgia Tech disaster, or a Dabo Swinney program-changing one. The alternative is to remain completely average. It’s simple: potentially great > average > potentially terrible.

I think NC State is going to have that decision at the end of the year.

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When I looked at Virginia’s schedule, I said the opener against NC State was a pivotal game. Well, not only did Virginia win, but they dominated the Wolfpack. The Hoos are going to be one of the ACC’s most physical teams. They were last year, and they will be again.

They ran for 258 yards on the ground and held NC State to just 76. When I looked at the ceiling of Virginia, this is what I saw. 

Will Go 10-2 (6-2) if:

They start the season 4-0. Virginia’s early season schedule is a challenge, but it’s not overly daunting. NC State and West Virginia are toss-up games, but Norfolk State and Delaware will be wins. After that, the only game I really don’t like Virginia in is a game at SMU. Games at FSU, and at Virginia Tech are 2nd half tossups, but I like Virginia in the rest of their games. The offensive line should be really good, and the Hoos should be able to control a lot of games with that unit. Outside of Miami, they could have arguably the best combined offensive and defensive lines in the ACC. If it plays out that way, Virginia could have another special season.

Well, Saturday, Virginia was every bit the team that could go 10-2 or better. It’s early, but that’s why Saturday was so pivotal. How would new QB Brett Pribula look? He only threw  11 passes, but completed 9 of them, and ran for over 100 yards. You are going to win a lot of games with a stat line like that.

This shouldn’t be a shock, though. Virginia is coming off an 11-win top 20 season, and Tony Elliot has Virginia built for sustained success. Early in his tenure, Elliot took some criticism, including from right here in his plan to build inside out. He was going to run the ball. At the time, it appeared Elliot was too inflexible to adapt to the talent the Hoos had, but his plan was longer term. It’s working now, and Virginia is grounding teams into submission with regularity.

Coming into 2026, they were being overlooked once you got past Miami, SMU, and Louisville. They shouldn’t have been, and they made a statement against the Wolfpack.

This is a dark-horse contender in the ACC, and you better not forget about them.

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An ACC team beats somebody out of conference, and they just don’t get much credit. It has to be because the opponent is suddenly terrible. FSU beat Alabama last year, and Alabama is just awful. The Tide get to the playoffs, and they are just better than game 1. It took Miami beating 3 straight top 10 teams before they started getting real credit on their way to a top 2 season.

UNC pulls off the upset of TCU, and the Horned Frogs are awful with a bad quarterback. Well, I’m not sure if UNC is better now, critics say. It must be TCU.

These are poor takes. Many things can be true at once. UNC winning Saturday 15-10 over TCU doesn’t mean the Heels are an ACC contender, but improved? You better believe it. We said this in our best / worse case scenario for UNC. 

Will Go 6-6 (4-4) if:

They beat TCU in the opener. Last year, TCU was a measuring stick game in the first game of the season for UNC, and the Heels failed the test miserably. It was an indication of just how bad the Tar Heels would be. If UNC can steal that game with a decent TCU squad, it would be a great sign that the Heels could be a bowl-quality team

UNC looked like a team that could reach a bowl game. Billy Edwards is a huge upgrade at QB. In bad weather, he largely played smart, efficient football. Bobby Petrino as the new OC gave the Heels’ offense an identity and consistency in play calling. The defense was opportunistic and may have a star in UNC sophomore DT Xavier Lewis, who was huge. 

We can admit TCU played poorly. They were sloppy, made mistakes, and Sonny Dyke’s had terrible 4th-down play calling in the red zone, but UNC needed some help. The Horned Frogs were still a fringe top 25 team coming in, and they didn’t play well. Nobody will argue that, but last year’s UNC team still loses by 10-14 points today.

You have to give Bill Belichick and staff credit. All the off-season talk of hot seat, off-the-field distractions, and more, and the Tar Heels played a gutsy game that resulted in their biggest win under Belichick.

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The ACC won’t get better exposure this year than the first two weekends of the college football season. In Week 0, UNC vs TCU, and Virginia vs NC State are on ESPN. Florida State is on the CW against New Mexico, and Stanford plays Hawaii on the ACC Network. ACC schools are playing largely unopposed all day.

What shows better on national TV than a full stadium? Well, good for Virginia, as they have a sellout for their game against NC State.

It is their first sellout in more than 15 years.

Scott Stadium has been 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓.#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/2uQDSondG8

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 27, 2026

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ACCPerscription tells us about the ACC Network’s new football shows.  Say what you will about ESPN, but when it comes to their ACC Network, it’s becomes really good at covering ACC Sports.

How about a little Clemson LSU Q&A coverage from ShakintheSouthland.

ChopChat gives their game by game prediction of Florida State’s football schedule. 

BigRedLouie tells us which football players must step up for Louisville to knock off Ole Miss next week. 

GobblerCountry does a risk analysis of the season for the Virginia Tech Hokies. It’s an interesting way to look at the season rather than just game predictions.

Miami doesn’t let rivalry with FSU stand in the way of good business, according to CanesWarning. Another innovative way to make money.

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Best / Worst Case Record for :

Louisville | Virginia | Miami | Duke | Georgia Tech | SMU | Boston College | Pittsburgh | Florida State | Cal | Virginia Tech | NC State |Clemson | Syracuse | North Carolina | Stanford

ACC 2026 Football Schedule

Wake Forest

Wake Forest always seems to find coaches that make the Deacs then they should seem. From Jim Grobe to Dave Clawson to now Jake Dickert. Wake Forest put together a remarkable 9-4 season that included a bowl win over Mississippi State. Jake Dickert received some ACC Coach of the Year consideration, and deservedly so. Wake Forest’s schedule is considerably tougher in 2026, but Wake Forest has proven over the years to be a team that you better not underestimate.

Will Go 7-5 (4-5) if:

The defense can hold up. The offense has a ton of turnover, but the defense last year was top 30. It’s going to have to carry Wake Forest through a good portion of the season. A game at Purdue is pivotal, as Miami and Louisville are games 3 and 4. Stanford is after those, and that’s a good chance at a win. You get Akron, Purdue, and Stanford, and you probably start the season 3-2. Merrimack would be win 4. Then, like last year, Wake Forest is going to have to sneak up on some teams. There’s a chance to get Virginia or Duke at home. Could Wake Forest steal a couple of road games at NC State, Cal, or Georgia Tech? SMU might be out of reach. Dickert proved his coaching chops last year. Just that might be worth a couple of wins.

Will Go 3-9 (1-8) if:

The defense struggles. I don’t think Wake Forest will be able to count on the offense, especially early in the season. If the defense isn’t top 30- 40 again, things could fall apart fast. Miami, Louisville, and SMU are on the schedule; that’s probably 3 losses. Who will Wake Forest be favored against after Akron and Merrimack? Stanford, most likely, then who? I don’t think last year was a one – hit wonder of coaching for Jake Dickert, but Wake Forest isn’t sneaking up on anyone in 2026.

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Best / Worst Case Record for :

Louisville | Virginia | Miami | Duke | Georgia Tech | SMU | Boston College | Pittsburgh | Florida State | Cal | Virginia Tech | NC State |Clemson | Syracuse | North Carolina | Wake Forest

ACC 2026 Football Schedule

Stanford

There was a time in the not too distant past that Stanford was one of the best college football programs in the country. From 2010 – 2018 Stanford never won fewer than 8 games. In 7 of those years, they finished in the top 20. Then things started turning south, and it’s been the 3 – 4 win train ever since. Frank Reich came in last year as interim coach, and had Stanford playing at a credible level despite not having much talent. It was a respectable 4-8 year. Well, as respectable as 4-8 can be. Stanford’s own Tavita Pritchard returns to try and revive the Cardinals program. Andrew Luck is the GM, and he’s giving one the feeling Stanford is ready to commit to football.

Will Go 6-6 (4-5) if:

Both sides of the ball can be ranked in the top 80. Last year Stanford’s offense and defense were in the 100s. They won 4 games. If they can get reasonable improvement on both sides of the ball, it could result in the Cardinals getting to a bowl game. Beating Hawaii in the opener is a must. Then they should beat Elon, and then they have to find 4 more wins. That won’t be easy, but Georgia Tech and NC State are a chance. Cal is a rivalry game, and you beat them last year. Then you have to steal one on the road, and Wake Forest looks like the best chance. Micah Ford is a quality RB, and if the Cardinals control games on the ground, they have a chance.

Will Go 2-10 (1-7) if:

The schedule just overwhelms them. The open against Hawaii isn’t a gimme, and there’s Elon. Those could be the only games that Stanford is favored. They face the 3 best ACC teams going into the season: Miami, Louisville, and SMU. There’s a game at Notre Dame too. Duke, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, NC State, and Cal are all coming bowl seasons in 2025. Virginia Tech is the road. WOW, that’s brutal for a team that played hard last year, but isn’t the most talented. New coach Tavita Pritchard could actually do a decent job, and Stanford may not break 4 wins.

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@AllSportsDACC and I (@TalkinACCSports ) prepare you for Week 0. We made it. There’s football this weekend!

In this order, these are the topics we covered on the podcast. It’s episode 598

Week 0 Preview for UNC, Virginia, NC State, Stanford and Florida State

Open Microphone

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Well, as ESPN announced their first 3 locations for Gameday, they were all SEC locales. Shocker… If you’re a Clemson fan, the Tigers are part of the opener with Clemson at LSU. After that it’s Texas for Ohio State and Texas. Then it’s Ole Miss for LSU at Ole Miss. LSU is already on Gameday twice in in the first 3 weeks. 

The weak Week 1 schedule does make Clemson at LSU the biggest that weekend. Texas and Ohio State speak for itself, but the LSU at Ole Miss is a manufactured hype game because of the return of Lane Kiffin to Ole Miss, especially if LSU loses to Clemson. Couldn’t they have waited until that game was over?

We know, though, this will continue throughout the year. In 2025, ESPN went to SEC locales 5 times before November. That would be 5 of the first 9 games, and 11 SEC schools featured on Gameday. In fairness to ESPN, and I’ll point this out, there wasn’t another Gameday at SEC location in the month of November.

Go back to 2024; there 8 SEC Gameday trips in the regular season, and 16 SEC schools.  That’s 27 SEC participant schools on Gameday the last 2 years, and 6 for the ACC. The Big 10 had 19 over a 2-year period, and the Big 12 had just 4.

The fact is, the SEC and Big 10 had a whopping 46 schools appear on Gameday out of 58 possible school appearances. You know the schools I follow are in the ACC, and I don’t have a lot of interest in SEC and, to a lesser extent Big 10 Gameday. Gameday doesn’t care who they televise as long as people keep watching.

For me, and even though it’s still an ESPN network, I’m watching the @accnetwork ACC Huddle. At least they cover the teams I’m interested in, and they’ve improved over the last 2 – 3 years. The production is better, the analysts follow the ACC closely, and they interview ACC players and coaches. Here’s the ACC Huddle next stops.

Wednesday, @accnetwork unveiled a series of programming announcements & initiatives at #ACCKickoff

#ACCHuddle locations revealed for Wks 0-3
@MaxBrowne4 joins @WesDurham on ACCN Primetime Football
’ACC Huddle Special: Road Trip’ returns Aug. 3-25

https://t.co/ICC6C6Tgdg pic.twitter.com/1GnDPdpZhN

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) July 15, 2026

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