Here are best games of the 2023 football season for North Carolina, NC State and Duke
Posted September 2, 2023 5:00 a.m. EDT
College football is back and with it comes several questions involving the ACC’s Triangle teams: North Carolina, NC State and Duke.
Will UNC quarterback Drake Maye win the Heisman trophy?
Can NC State’s newbies Brennan Armstrong and Robert Anae rekindle the magic of 2021 in Raleigh?
Can Mike Elko, Riley Leonard and Duke build off of last year’s 9-4 season?
From the start of the season through the ACC title game, here are the top ACC games for the teams in the Triangle: Duke, NC State and North Carolina:
7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 2: North Carolina vs. South Carolina
If Maye is going to be considered a serious Heisman contender, it starts Saturday night in primetime against South Carolina.
ESPN's "College GameDay" will broadcast its pregame show from 9 a.m. to noon in Charlotte ahead of the big game.
In the 2023 season, Maye and North Carolina head coach Mack Brown are vying to win the program's first conference championship since 1980.
8 p.m. ET Monday, Sept. 4: Clemson at Duke
Welcome to division-less ACC football!
Online sports gambling is not legal just yet in the state of North Carolina, but how much is this spread going to shift after the opening weekend of college football?
As it stands, Clemson enters as a 12-point favorite. However, I’d expect this line to move in Clemson’s favor as bettors try to recoup their losses from Saturday games.
Mike Elko’s Blue Devils will try to build off a 9-4 season in 2022, which was the program’s best season since 2014. Duke played in its first bowl game since the 2018 season and snapped a 13-game ACC losing streak.
Elko’s first-year success prompted Duke to extend his contract through the 2029 season to prevent other schools from poaching him.
Quarterback Riley Leonard is a respected dual-threat quarterback who could catapult himself to the top of the Heisman race with a big upset against Clemson.
History is against Duke’s upset efforts: The Blue Devils last beat the Tigers in 2004 when Ted Roof was Duke’s head coach and Tommy Bowden was coaching Clemson.
Duke’s defense is replacing three starters, including the top two tacklers in safety Darius Joiner and linebacker Shaka Heyward. However, Duke returns four starters up front, including senior tackles DeWayne Carter and Ja’Mion Franklin. Carter made the preseason all-ACC first team.
Duke hired former Texas A&M co-defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci in January after Robb Smith chose to leave Duke to return home to Minnesota. We’ll see if Santucci helps Duke continue to improve defensively. Duke allowed 22.1 points per game last season while allowing nearly 40 points per game in 2021.
Meanwhile, Clemson is hoping sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik — second among quarterbacks in 247 Sports’ 2022 class — can help solve some of the team’s offensive woes.
In January, Clemson hired Garrett Riley to serve as the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Riley — the younger brother of USC head coach Lincoln Riley — joins Clemson after serving as the TCU offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Two-year starter DJ Uiagalelei has transferred to Oregon State and Clemson fired last season’s offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter.
Running back Will Shipley — who was selected to the preseason all-ACC first team — should help move the Tigers’ offense early in the season as Clubnik gets comfortable.
On Clemson’s offensive line, no players madke the preseason all-ACC first team, but they Tigers do have four returning starters.
Defensively, Clemson has four players on the preseason all-ACC team: linebackers Jeremiah Trotter and Barrett Carter along with defensive tackle Tyler Davis and safety Andrew Mukuba.
Noon ET Saturday, Sept. 9: Notre Dame at NC State
The game against Notre Dame will provide NC State fans the first real glimpse of whether transfer quarterback Brennan Armstrong and new offensive coordinator Robert Anae can rekindle the magic of 2021 when they were paired together at Virginia. In 2021, the lefty threw for 4,449 yards, 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and completed 65.2% of his passes.
Anae left for the Syracuse offensive coordinator job in 2022, and Armstrong’s production suffered.
As evidenced by tens of thousands of Notre Dame fans visiting Ireland for the team’s opener against Navy, Fighting Irish fans travel well.
Last season as a first-year head coach, Marcus Freeman guided Notre Dame to a 9-4 season despite starting the season 0-2.
Notre Dame is led by Wake Forest transfer quarterback Sam Hartman, who opened the season with four touchdown passes in the 42-3 win against Navy. Hartman has thrown 114 touchdown passes in his collegiate career.
At Wake Forest, Hartman went 1-2 against NC State.
Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt — who is listed at 6’8” and 322 pounds — is considered among the top offensive linemen in college football. Alt should be a top selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison is coming off a breakout freshman season in 2022. He had six interceptions.
This season will mark the fourth time NC State has played Notre Dame. The Wolfpack have a 2-1 record against the Fighting Irish:
- Oct. 28, 2017: Notre Dame won 35-14 in South Bend, Indiana
- Oct. 8, 2016: NC State won 10-3 in Raleigh
- Jan. 1, 2002: NC State won 28-6
5:15 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 9: Appalachian State vs. North Carolina
If history repeats itself, we’re in for a treat.
Last season, North Carolina survived a 63-61 thriller. The two teams combined to score 62 points and compiled 504 yards in the fourth quarter alone. App State failed to convert two two-point conversions, and North Carolina escaped Boone with a win.
App State quarterback Chase Brice has graduated. Redshirt freshman Ryan Burger is the favorite to take over as the starter.
In 2019, App State upset North Carolina 34-31 after blocking a field goal.
Saturday, Sept. 30: Notre Dame at Duke
Duke should have a decent idea of what kind of Notre Dame team to expect after the Fighting Irish play NC State. That game will mark Notre Dame’s third of the season considering the team played in Week 0.
Duke’s three-game stretch of Notre Dame (Sept. 30), NC State (Oct. 14) and Florida State (Oct. 21) could very well define the team’s season.
Saturday, Oct. 14: NC State at Duke
Division-less ACC football means NC State and Duke will play for the first time since the 2020 season.
Duke hasn’t beaten NC State since 2013.
Saturday, Oct. 28: Clemson at NC State
During Dave Doeren’s tenure at NC State, he is just 1-8 against Clemson. The Wolfpack’s lone win came in the 2021 season in Raleigh.
The Tigers have won the ACC seven times during that span (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022).
To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. Clemson is no exception.
Saturday, Oct. 28: North Carolina at Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets ruined the Tar Heels’ 9-1 start in 2022, the first of four consecutive losses to end the season. North Carolina’s only loss to that point in the 2022 season came against Notre Dame.
Texas A&M transfer Haynes King is set to take over at quarterback for Georgia Tech.
Also, consider that it’s Halloween weekend in Atlanta.
Saturday, Nov. 11: Duke at North Carolina
I’m well aware that college basketball season starts in November, but the Battle of the Blues begins on the gridiron when Duke and North Carolina compete for the Victory Bell.
North Carolina has won four consecutive games, including last year’s 38-35 thriller when Maye connected with wide receiver Antoine Green for an eight-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left.
Saturday, Nov. 18: Clemson at North Carolina
The game in Chapel Hill marks a rematch of last season’s ACC Championship game.
Plus, fans get to see a matchup between quarterbacks Maye and Klubnik. The two combined for 642 yards of total offense in last year’s matchup.
It’s anyone’s guess whether Maye will still be in Heisman contention by this point in the season.
At the very least, fans should get to see one of the most explosive ACC offenses against a typically elite Clemson defense.
Saturday, Nov. 25: North Carolina at NC State
Last year’s matchup saw fourth-string NC State quarterback Ben Finley outplay Maye as the Wolfpack beat the Tar Heels 30-27 in double overtime.
The outcome served as sweet payback after Maye’s comments about NC State and a subsequent apology. By that point, it was a bit like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube.
Maye even acknowledged the commentary wasn’t his “smartest move,” and that he has to be “smarter with words in the media” during an appearance on the “Move the Sticks” podcast.
The series between North Carolina and NC State doesn’t have a rotating trophy to the winner or a catchy name. However, it’s a rivalry filled with drama regardless of what some fans want to say.
