Jan. 17, 2003
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference football schedule was released today by Commissioner John Swofford. The schedule is comprised of 72 games, including 36 conference matchups, over a span of 14 weeks.
Georgia Tech brings the curtain up on the 2003 season when it travels to Provo, Utah, to take on Brigham Young on Thursday, August 28. The Yellow Jacket-Cougar matchup is the first of three Thursday night telecasts involving ACC teams on ESPN. Two days later -- Saturday, August 30 -- the remaining eight league teams will swing into action with two conference match-ups -- Florida State at North Carolina and Duke at Virginia -- and four non-league tilts on tap.
Sixteen of the league's 36 non-conference games (44 percent) are against teams who earned bowl berths in 2002 including defending national champion Ohio State, second-ranked Miami and No. 3 Georgia. In all 10 non-conference games are scheduled against nine teams that finished the season ranked in either the AP or Coaches' polls.
Non-conference opponents who earned bowl bids in 2002 are Arizona State (Holiday Bowl), No. 14 Auburn (Capital One), Boston College (Motor City Bowl), No. 20 Colorado (Alamo), No. 24 Florida (Outback), No. 3 Georgia (Sugar), No. 2 Miami (Fiesta), No. 17 Notre Dame (Gator), No. 1 Ohio State (Fiesta), Purdue (Sun), Tennessee (Peach), Texas Tech (Tangerine Bowl), No. 25 West Virginia (Continental Tire), Wisconsin (Alamo) and No. 18 Virginia Tech (San Francisco).
The 2003 ACC football schedule is as follows:
Thursday, August 28
Maryland at Northern Illinois, Fox Sports Net, 7:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech at BYU, ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 30
Georgia at Clemson, ABC, Noon
Wake Forest at Boston College, 1 p.m.
Western Carolina at NC State, 6 p.m.
Duke at Virginia, 7 p.m.
Florida State at North Carolina, ABC, 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 6
NC State at Wake Forest, ABC, Noon
Virginia at South Carolina, JP Sports, 12:30 p.m.
Syracuse at North Carolina, 1:30 p.m.
Auburn at Georgia Tech, ABC, 3:30 p.m.
Furman at Clemson, 5 p.m.
Western Carolina at Duke, 6 p.m.
Maryland at Florida State, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 13
NC State at Ohio State, ABC, Noon
Purdue at Wake Forest, ESPN, Noon
Virginia at Western Michigan, 2 p.m.
Middle Tennessee State at Clemson, 5 p.m.
The Citadel at Maryland, 6 p.m.
Rice at Duke, 6 p.m.
Georgia Tech at Florida State, ABC, 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 20
Clemson at Georgia Tech
Northwestern at Duke, 2 p.m.
Colorado at Florida State
West Virginia at Maryland
North Carolina at Wisconsin
Texas Tech at NC State
East Carolina at Wake Forest
Saturday, September 27
Florida State at Duke
Georgia Tech at Vanderbilt
Maryland at Eastern Michigan, 6 p.m.
North Carolina at NC State
Wake Forest at Virginia
Saturday, October 4
Clemson at Maryland
NC State at Georgia Tech
Virginia at North Carolina
Saturday, October 11
Virginia at Clemson
Duke at Maryland
Miami at Florida State
Georgia Tech at Wake Forest
North Carolina at East Carolina
Connecticut at NC State, 1 p.m.
Thursday, October 16
Clemson at NC State
Saturday, October 18
Wake Forest at Duke
Florida State at Virginia
Arizona State at North Carolina
Thursday, October 23
Maryland at Georgia Tech, ESPN, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, October 25
North Carolina at Clemson
NC State at Duke
Wake Forest at Florida State
Troy State at Virginia, 3 p.m.
Saturday, November 1
Clemson at Wake Forest
Duke at Tennessee
Florida State at Notre Dame
North Carolina at Maryland
Virginia at NC State
Saturday, November 8
Florida State at Clemson
Georgia Tech at Duke
Wake Forest at North Carolina
Thursday, November 13
Virginia at Maryland, ESPN, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, November 15
Duke at Clemson
NC State at Florida State
North Carolina at Georgia Tech
Connecticut at Wake Forest
Saturday, November 22
Clemson at South Carolina
Duke at North Carolina
Georgia Tech at Virginia
Maryland at NC State
Saturday, November 29
Florida State at Florida
Georgia at Georgia Tech
Maryland at Wake Forest
Virginia Tech at Virginia
