Aside from maybe Miami, ACC football looks wide open as the calendar approaches October. Clemson is 1-3. Florida State stumbled at Virginia on Friday night. Can any of North Carolina’s ACC teams work themselves into the title conversation now that favorites are leaving the back door open?
Duke, NC State and Wake Forest have chances on Saturday to strengthen their case (with the Pack’s win over Virginia looking better and better, and Duke’s over NCSU the same).
Duke travels to Syracuse and Wake Forest hosts Georgia Tech in a pair of high noon showdowns. The Wolfpack entertains a reeling Virginia Tech squad under the lights at Carter-Finley, looking to sweep their ACC foes from the Commonwealth.
Elsewhere, Appalachian State travels west for a marquee Group of Five clash with Boise State, while East Carolina has already notched an impressive Thursday-night win over Army.
It’s a pivotal slate for North Carolina’s FBS teams, mixing ACC survival tests with one of the most intriguing national matchups of the weekend.
Follow our FBS Game Day thread for live updates and scores. We’ll update throughout the day and weekend.
📅 North Carolina FBS Football Schedule | Saturday, Sept. 27
- Georgia Tech 30, Wake Forest 29 — FINAL
- Duke 38, Syracuse 3 — FINAL
- Virginia Tech 23, NC State 21 — FINAL
- Boise State 47, Appalachian State 14 — FINAL
- East Carolina 28, Army 6 (Thursday)
- North Carolina, Charlotte idle
⚡ FBS Storylines We’re Following Today
💡 Duke at Syracuse
Blue Devils QB Darian Mensah ranks among the nation’s passing leaders. Syracuse turns to sophomore Rickie Collins after starter Steve Angeli went down last week. Noon kickoff in the Dome will make for an interesting backdrop for Duke.
What Happened: The Blue Devils absolutely overwhelmed the Orange from the jump, handing Fran Brown his worst loss as the Syracuse head coach. Mensah was efficient (22-of-28 for 268 yards, 2 TDs) and the Devils mustered more than 500 yards of offense.
💡 Georgia Tech at Wake Forest
The No. 16 Yellow Jackets are unbeaten, fueled by one of the top rushing attacks in the country. Wake counters with a defense that ranks among the nation’s top 40 in fewest points allowed.
What Happened: Georgia Tech escaped Winston-Salem – barely – after falling behind by 17 in the third quarter. The Jackets intercepted a two-point pass play in overtime to remain unbeaten at 5-0. The game was not without controversy. A missed offsides call on Georgia Tech foiled a late Wake drive, allowing the Yellow Jackets to get the ball back and kick the OT-forcing field goal.
💡 Virginia Tech at NC State
Wolfpack RB Hollywood Smothers has rushed for 100+ yards in three straight games, while QB CJ Bailey has topped 300 passing yards twice this fall. NC State returns home after back-to-back road tests.
Is this the end of the Dave Doeren era in Raleigh? After rallying to beat Wake Forest and then topping the same Virginia team that just upset Florida State, the Pack floundered in what could be one of the program’s worst losses under Doeren’s command.
💡 Appalachian State at Boise State
Two Group of Five powers collide. App State looks to rebound from a turnover-heavy loss at Southern Miss, while Boise State, a College Football Playoff team last year, hosts the Mountaineers for the first time since their 1994 FCS playoff meeting.
Often considered the two most iconic Group of Five franchises of the past decade, Boise State showed it is light years ahead of the Mountaineers with the on-field product. The App State rebuild could take longer than first expected after the 2-0 start. A win a few days after the passing of former App State player and coach Shawn Clark would have been pure poetry. The teams did combine to score 61 points, Clark’s number.
📊 Live Scoreboard: North Carolina FBS Football
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Ga Tech | 3 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 30 | Final/OT |
 | Wake Forest | 0 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 29 | ESPN |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Duke | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 38 | Final | |
 | Syracuse | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ACC Network | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | Va Tech | 3 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 23 | Final | |
 | NC State | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | The CW | |
| TOTAL | ||||||||
 | App State | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | Final | |
 | Boise State | 14 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 47 | FS1 |
✅ FBS Highlights & Takeaways
ECU Starts Hot, Finishes Off Army With Creative Special Teams
East Carolina jumped to a 21-0 first-quarter lead then executed one of the sweetest fake field goals in recent memory to fell defending American champion Army 28-6 on Thursday. Quarterback Katin Houser had a hand in all three early scores, throwing TD passes to Anthony Smith and Jayvontay Conner, and rushing for a score.
Backup holder Kyler Pearson salted the game away with his 32-yard fake field goal rush with 8:14 to play. ECU improved to 3-2 and will take a week off before a key road trip to Tulane.
