The ACC has had some fun at the SEC’s expense during the opening 2 weeks.

Thanks to Florida State, North Carolina, Miami and Wake Forest, the league is 4-1 in head-to-head matchups against the top league in college football.

Now, as we turn the page to Week 3, the ACC has a chance to make a few statements against the other half of the perceived “Big 2.”

There are 5 games against Big Ten, highlighted by a battle between North Carolina and Minnesota, a border war between former ACC rivals Virginia and Maryland and another border battle between Louisville and Indiana.

Here’s a look ahead at what to expect:

Miami vs. Bethune-Cookman

When – Thursday, 7:30 pm ET

TV – ACC Network

The Hurricanes put a 70-13 hurting on the Wildcats in Mario Cristobal debut game last season. This year’s team, as illustrated by Saturday’s methodical win against Texas A&M, is significantly better.

While Bethune-Cookman gets its money, Miami will have the opportunity to come down from the high of that signature win against the Aggies and deal with a short week without having to work up much of a sweat.

It will also give safety Kam Kinchens, defensive linemen Akheem Mesidor and Branson Deen, and freshman running back Mark Fletcher Jr. a chance to heal up and be ready for the meat of the schedule to come. All 3 players left Saturday’s games with injuries.

Virginia vs. Maryland

When – Friday, 7 pm ET

TV – FS1

The ACC’s offices have moved from Greensboro to Charlotte. The league is going bi-coastal with the addition of Stanford, Cal and SMU next year. But if you’re the nostalgic type who longs for the simpler days of the league’s past, this game is for you.

This will be the 79th meeting of the neighboring rivals, but the first since the Terrapins’ 27-26 victory in 2013, Maryland’s final season before leaving the ACC for the Big Ten.

As appealing as the matchup might be, there’s a good chance that the actual game will be a letdown. While the Terps are 2-0, the rebuilding Cavaliers are 0-2 – including Saturday’s heartbreaking loss against James Madison.

True freshman Anthony Colandrea, however, provided at least a little hope for UVa by throwing for 377 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss to the Dukes in his 1st career start.

Florida State at Boston College

When – Saturday, noon ET

TV – ABC

The showdown between the best team in the ACC and the league’s worst team promises to be a mismatch of epic proportions. The Eagles are 1 score from being 0-2 against arguably the 2 softest touches on their schedule – Northern Illinois and Holy Cross. The Seminoles are ranked No. 3 in the nation with a bullet.

BC has at least shown signs of life offensively since Thomas Castellanos replaced Emmett Morehead midway though the opening week loss to Northern Illinois, The UCF transfer threw for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns while running for 69 more in his 1st start Saturday.

But he’ll be facing a much more formidable defense in FSU. And the Seminoles offense, with their wealth of riches, figures to have little trouble scoring points against an Eagles unit that had a hard time containing Holy Cross.

Louisville vs. Indiana at Indianapolis

When – Saturday, noon ET

TV – Big Ten Network

Jeff Brohm couldn’t have drawn up a better start for his return to his alma mater. A come-from-behind win at Georgia Tech, followed by a 56-0 blowout of Murray State. Now comes a neutral site date against a familiar opponent for the new Cardinals coach.

The Hoosiers are Purdue’s primary rival and Brohm went 4-1 against them when he was with the Boilermakers, with 1 meeting canceled because of COVID. The only loss came in double overtime. Brohm’s teams won the 2 most recent renewals of the Bucket Game by a combined margin of 74-23.

It’s tough to get a gauge on what to expect from Indiana. After getting held to just a single field goal in an opening loss to Ohio State, the Hoosiers rebounded by beating Indiana State 41-7 with redshirt freshman Tayven Jackson going 18-for-21 for 236 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Wake Forest vs. Old Dominion

When – Saturday, noon ET

TV – ESPN2 or ESPNU

Two of Dave Clawson’s primary goals were improving the running game and becoming more opportunistic on defense. Saturday’s win against Vanderbilt showed that Wake is well on its way toward accomplishing both.

Even without starter Justice Ellison, the Deacons rushed for 288 yards, with Demond Claiborne and Tate Carney each going for more than 100 yards. Defensively, they created 3 turnovers – including a scoop and 31-yard score by Brendon Harris.

The Deacons have started 3 of the past 4 seasons at 3-0. They stand a good chance of adding to that mark against an ODU team that has already lost handily to an ACC team, falling 36-17 at Virginia Tech 2 weeks ago.

NC State vs. VMI

When – Saturday, noon ET

TV – The CW

Dave Doeren stated the obvious after Saturday’s loss to Notre Dame when he said that his team has “got lots to fix.” The list includes blocking up front, drops by receivers, inconsistency from veteran quarterback Brennan Armstrong and a defense with a penchant for giving up big plays.

The good news is that Saturday’s opponent will give the Wolfpack a realistic shot at improving in all those areas and building a little confidence. State is 11-0 against FCS opponents under Doeren, winning those games by a cumulative margin of 378-99 with 3 shutouts.

VMI is 1-1 with a win against Davidson and a loss to Bucknell. The Keydets didn’t score more than 13 points in either game.

Duke vs. Northwestern

When – Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

TV – ACC Network

Two schools with a lot in common when it comes to size, academics and prestige, Duke and Northwestern are heading in distinctly opposite directions on the football field.

The No. 21-ranked Blue Devils are well on their way toward building on last year’s 9-win season with victories against Clemson and Lafayette. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are embroiled in a hazing scandal that cost coach Pat Fitzgerald his job off the field and a season-long string of losses on it.

Northwestern did break a 12-game losing streak dating to its 2022 opener by beating UTEP 38-7 on Saturday – a game in which all but 7 of the Wildcats’ points were scored in the 2nd half.

North Carolina vs. Minnesota

When – Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

TV – ESPN or ESPN2

The Tar Heels started the season in impressive fashion by beating South Carolina in Charlotte. But they reverted to some old bad habits on defense and had to survive 2 overtimes to beat Appalachian State to go 2-0.

UNC gave up 288 yards on the ground to the Mountaineers with an average of 6.7 yards per carry. That could be a problem against a Gophers offense that rushed for 296 yards in Saturday’s win against Eastern Michigan, with Darius Taylor accounting for 193 of them.

Offensively, the Tar Heels are averaging 35.5 points per game. But Drake Maye is definitely showing the effects of his 2 best receivers being out of action. It will be a challenge against a Minnesota defense that has allowed fewer than 100 yards through the air in their 1st 2 wins.

Virginia Tech at Rutgers

When – Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

TV – Big Ten Network

The Hokies get another crack at beating a Big Ten opponent after losing 28-21 to Purdue at home on Saturday. They had their chances against the Boilermakers in a game that was delayed for more than 5 hours by stormy weather.

Despite the 1-score margin, Tech’s offensive performance left a lot to be desired. All its points were scored during the final 6 minutes of the opening half. And as a team, it managed only 11 net yards on the ground.

Rutgers, like the Hokies, is projected to be a bottom feeder in its conference. The Scarlet Knights, however, come into the game at 2-0 with wins against a Northwestern team whose program is in disarray and Temple, which went 3-9 last season.

Georgia Tech at Ole Miss

When – Saturday, 7:30 pm ET

TV – SEC Network

If nothing else, this will be a measuring stick game for the Yellow Jackets.

They got shut out 42-0 by the Rebels last year. The game got so lopsided so early that Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin avoided running up the score.

The gesture didn’t help save Geoff Collins’ job. Collins was replaced by Brent Key 2 weeks later.

Tech is 5-5 under Key, including Saturday’s win against South Carolina State. While the Yellow Jackets will be overmatched again, especially since the rematch is on the road, the result will give Key an idea of how far his team has come in a year. And how much farther it still has to go.

But hey, ACC teams are 4-1 against the SEC this season. So you never know.

Pittsburgh at West Virginia

When – Saturday, 7:30 pm ET

TV – ABC

The Panthers continue their reunion tour against former Big East rivals. Pat Narduzzi can only hope that this one goes better than last week’s loss to Cincinnati.

Give Pitt credit for rallying late and with a pair of 4th quarter touchdowns and nearly pulling out the victory after a late interception by Marquis Williams. But it might not have had to come from behind if it hadn’t stumbled through the first 3 periods with only a single touchdown.

The biggest issue was a running game that produced only 83 yards and 2.9 yards per carry.

While the Panthers and Bearcats hadn’t met since the breakup of the old Big East 11 years ago, this will be the 2nd season in a row for the Backyard Brawl against WVU. Pitt beat the Mountaineers 38-31 on a late pick-6 by MJ Devonshire.

Syracuse at Purdue

When – Saturday, 7:30 pm ET

TV – NBC

After opening the year with 2 straight cupcakes, the Orange take a step up in competition against a meatier opponent coming off a win against an ACC team. This is a game in which Dino Babers gets a better read on how good his team actually is after watching it put up some impressive offensive numbers in blowout wins against Colgate and Western Michigan.

Syracuse won those games by a combined score of 113-7.

Quarterback Garrett Shrader has completed 68% of his passes and has spread the ball around, with an even dozen receivers catching at least 1 ball and 7 – including star tight end Oronde Gadsden III – scoring at least 1 touchdown.

Clemson vs. Florida Atlantic

When – Saturday, 8 pm ET

TV – ACC Network

Did the Tigers finally figure things out in the 2nd half against Charleston Southern? They have 1 more tune-up to find out before Florida State comes to Death Valley for a game that could end any thoughts Clemson has of contending for championships.

The biggest issue continues to be turnovers.

Just as they did in their opening loss to Duke, the Tigers shot themselves in the foot multiple times during the first half Saturday. They coughed it up twice, including a pick-6 thrown by Cade Klubnik on a pass the sophomore admitted was “a terrible decision.” Both miscues ended up costing Clemson touchdowns.

The Tigers outscored the Buccaneers 42-0 in the 2nd half, momentum they’ll try to maintain against an FAU team that is 1-1 after last week’s loss to Ohio University.