Fans of both college football and of the ACC will get a big treat from the ESPN family of networks beginning this fall. ESPN has officially announced that it will broadcast no fewer than twenty additional ACC college football games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU during the course of the 2013 season. The first three weeks of the upcoming college football season will see every home game from specific ACC teams, as well as a road and neutral site matchup across the ESPN family of networks. This is in addition to five previously released ACC games.
As an added bonus for ACC football fans, the new deal between the ACC and the ESPN family of networks means that they will get to see the Dr Pepper ACC Championship from Charlotte, North Carolina and the previously announced quartet of Thursday ESPN College Football Primetime telecasts. Also, the deal has guaranteed at least one game on “Black Friday.”
The whole schedule kicks off with a matchup between the University of North Carolina and SEC #8 South Carolina. The game is the first of the four scheduled Thursday ESPN College Football Primetime telecasts. The game is currently scheduled for Thursday, August 29th at 6pm on ESPN. Virginia Tech and two-time defending BCS National Champion Alabama follow on August 31st at 5:30pm on ESPN. The game, the Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game is scheduled to be played in Atlanta. Miami will face #11 Florida on September 7th at noon on ESPN. Also expected to be broadcast that day is a matchup between Virginia and 3 Oregon at 3:30pm on ABC and ESPN2.
The current schedule of games is listed below. More games will be announced as the season moves forward.
The 2013 ACC schedule as of May 23 (additional selections to be announced):
| Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
| Thu, Aug 29 | 6 p.m. | North Carolina at No. 8 South Carolina * | ESPN |
| 6:30 p.m. | Presbyterian at Wake Forest | ESPN3 | |
| Fri, Aug 30 | 8 p.m. | Florida Atlantic at Miami (Fla.) | ESPNU |
| Sat, Aug 31 | Noon | Villanova at Boston College | ESPN3 |
| Noon | Elon at Georgia Tech | ESPN3 | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Louisiana Tech at NC State | ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Florida International at Maryland | ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network | |
| 3:30 p.m. | BYU at Virginia | ESPNU | |
| 4 p.m. | North Carolina Central at Duke | ESPN3 | |
| 5:30 p.m. | Chick-fil-A Kickoff: Virginia Tech vs. No. 2 Alabama (from Atlanta) * | ESPN | |
| 8 p.m. | No. 7 Georgia at No. 12 Clemson * | ABC | |
| Mon, Sep 2 | 8 p.m. | No. 14 Florida State at Pittsburgh * | ESPN |
| Fri, Sep 6 | 8 p.m. | Wake Forest at Boston College * | ESPN2 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Noon | No. 11 Florida at Miami (Fla.) | ESPN |
| 12:30 p.m. | Middle Tennessee at North Carolina | ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network | |
| 12:30 p.m. | South Carolina State at No. 12 Clemson | ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Western Carolina at Virginia Tech | ESPN3 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 3 Oregon at Virginia | ABC & ESPN2 | |
| 4 p.m. | Old Dominion at Maryland | ESPN3 | |
| 6 p.m. | Richmond at NC State | ESPN3 | |
| Sat, Sep 14 | 12:30 p.m. | New Mexico at Pittsburgh | ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network |
| 12:30 p.m. | Louisiana-Monroe at Wake Forest | ESPN3 ^ / ACC Network | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Nevada at No. 14 Florida State | ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Duke | ESPNU | |
| 4 p.m. | Wagner at Syracuse | ESPN3 | |
| Thu, Sep 19 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 12 Clemson at NC State * | ESPN |
| Thu, Sep 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech * | ESPN |
| Thu, Oct 17 | TBD | Miami (Fla.) at North Carolina * | ESPN |
| Thu, Nov 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech at No. 12 Clemson * | ESPN |
| Fri, Nov 29 | TBD | Miami (Fla.) at Pittsburgh * | ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 |
| Sat, Dec 7 | 7:45 p.m. or 8 p.m. | Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game (from Charlotte) | ABC or ESPN |
For all the latest ACC news, fans can follow the conference on its official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/theACC and its official website, http://www.theACC.com.
To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.
