The ACC has a chance to strengthen itself  this week.

And no, it has nothing to do with the addition of Stanford, California, Southern Methodist or anyone else as new members of the conference.

This opportunity will be presented on the field of play when 2 of its top current teams, Florida State and North Carolina, take on SEC opponents in neutral-site games.

The Seminoles can back up all the outside love they’ve been receiving this offseason and the “we’re better than the ACC and deserve more revenue than everyone else” bluster from within by beating LSU for the 2nd straight year.

This time closer to home in Orlando, Fla.

North Carolina, meanwhile, can help its own cause, boost quarterback Drake Maye’s Heisman Trophy candidacy and boost its conference’s national perception by taking down South Carolina in Charlotte, N.C.

They’re the 2 marquee nonconference matchups, along with an early ACC showdown between Clemson and Duke, highlighting a busy, important opening week featuring 12 games over a busy 5-day span.

Here’s how the matchups shake out:

NC State at UConn

When – Thursday, 7:30 pm ET

TV – CBS Sports Network

The Wolfpack made quick work of UConn in Raleigh last season, rolling up a 4-touchdown lead by halftime and cruising to a 41-10 victory. But the Huskies no longer are the doormat they were when they went 4-32 during the 4 seasons before Jim Mora took over as coach.

They rallied to win 6 games and make it to the Myrtle Beach Bowl last season. And they’re at home for what could be a tricky season opener if NC State shows up expecting a walkover. UConn should be better offensively with the addition of transfer quarterback Joseph Fagnano from Maine.

Still, there’s a reason why coach Dave Doeren’s team is a 14.5-point favorite. The Wolfpack has a defense that allowed the fewest points in the ACC last season and despite the introduction of a new quarterback, graduate transfer Brennan Armstrong already should be in sync now that he has been reunited with his former offensive coordinator while at Virginia, Robert Anae.

Elon at Wake Forest

When – Thursday, 7 pm ET

TV – ACC Network

For the 2nd straight year, the Deacons will open their season on a Thursday night against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent with Mitch Griffis at quarterback. Only this time, Griffis is the bonafide starter rather than a temporary fill-in for Sam Hartman. And unlike Virginia Military Institute last season, Elon will come to Winston-Salem, N.C., with a veteran team coming off a playoff appearance.

The Phoenix returns 4 starters on the offensive line, along with 1,000-yard rusher Jalen Hampton. But Wake Forest has won 11 of the 12 meetings between the neighboring rivals, with the only non-win coming in a scoreless tie in 1927. The Deacons won the most recent game 49-7 in 2019.

While Elon should present more of a challenge this time, this should be little more than a confidence-building tune-up for Dave Clawson’s deeper, more talented and more physical team.

Miami vs. Miami (Ohio)

When – Friday, 7 pm ET

TV – ACC Network

Will the real Miami please stand up? 

Welcome to the matchup once dubbed “The Confusion Bowl,” a matchup in which the buildup undoubtedly will be more interesting than the actual game. Redhawks quarterback Brett Gabbert, the younger brother of Kansas City Chiefs backup Blaine Gabbert, already has thrown down the gauntlet by declaring his team is the “real” Miami and that it will “show (the Hurricanes) on Sept. 1st.”

All-American safety Kamren Kinchens and his teammates might have something to say about that. This will be the 1st major test of the extreme makeover Mario Cristobal did on his roster through the transfer portal during the offseason.  

At least 1 thing is certain. No matter what happens on the field at Hard Rock Stadium, it’s a mortal lock that Miami will win the game. Of course, it’s just as much of a sure thing that Miami also will lose.

Louisville vs. Georgia Tech at Mercedes Benz Stadium

When – Friday, 7:30 pm ET

TV – ESPN

The Cardinals and Yellow Jackets square off in a battle of the ACC’s 2 1st-year coaches.

Technically, it’s Brent Key’s 2nd season, since he led Tech on an interim basis for the final 8 games after replacing Geoff Collins last season. He earned a 5-year, $15 million contract by going 4-4 in those games and will be looking to carry the momentum over into 2023.

Jeff Brohm, by contrast, returns to his alma mater amid great fanfare after a successful run at Purdue. He inherits a team that led the nation with 50 sacks and was among the best at forcing turnovers while qualifying for the Fenway Bowl under predecessor Scott Satterfield.

Both teams will be starting transfer quarterbacks with Tech turning to Haynes King from Texas A&M and Louisville handing the keys to its offense to Cal’s Jack Plummer. The Cardinals figure to have the edge in that position battle, since Plummer played his 1st 3 seasons for Brohm with the Boilermakers.

While this might only be the 1st game, it’s pivotal for both teams. Especially the Yellow Jackets, whose pathway to 6 wins and bowl eligibility is much more narrow than that of Louisville, which won the scheduling lottery by avoiding Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina – the top 3 teams in the ACC’s preseason poll.

Virginia vs. Tennessee at Nashville

When – Saturday, noon ET

TV – ABC

The Cavaliers will be playing at Nissan Stadium for the 1st time since their 34-31 win against Minnesota in the 2005 Music City Bowl. But the circumstances couldn’t be more different.

Not only will they be returning to the field for the 1st time since the shooting deaths of 3 team members last November, but they’ll be facing a Tennessee team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation for a time during 2022.

Josh Heupel’s team will start the new season ranked 12th and while the Volunteers lost star quarterback Hendon Hooker to the NFL, they have a talented replacement in Joe Milton and plenty of returning firepower from an offense that averaged 46 points and 525 yards per game last year.

UVa’s defense, which will be shorthanded because of a preseason injury to top pass rusher Chico Bennett, will be hard pressed to stop the high-powered Vols. And outscoring Tennessee isn’t an option with an offense that ranked last in the ACC at just 17 points per game in 2022.

Considering the circumstances under which last season ended and the current stage of rebuilding under 2nd-year coach Tony Elliott, the Cavaliers couldn’t have scheduled a more inopportune opener.

Boston College vs. Northern Illinois

When – Saturday, noon ET

TV – ACC Network

The Huskies allowed 32.8 points per game last season while going 3-9 and finishing last in the Mid-American Conference’s West Division. They’re the perfect opponent for an Eagles team looking to erase the bad memories from a miserable, injury-plagued 2022 season.

NIU’s secondary allowed an average of 252 passing yards and a league-high 32 touchdowns last season. That and a healthy, rebuilt offensive line should give Eagles quarterback Emmett Morehead ample opportunities to get off to a fast start.

Yet even though BC is a 9.5-point favorite, history suggests this won’t be a cakewalk. Their 2 previous meetings, in 2015 and 2017, both ended in 3-point Eagles victories.

Pittsburgh vs. Wofford

When – Saturday, 3:30 pm ET

TV – ACC Network

This opener is as close to an exhibition as there is in college football and a great opportunity for transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec to settle into his new surroundings. The Terriers went 3-8 last season and got blown out by a bad Virginia Tech team. 

The most intriguing aspect of the matchup is that Wofford’s new coach Shawn Watson, who earned all 3 of those 2022 victories as interim coach, was Pat Narduzzi’s offensive coordinator for 2 seasons before being fired during 2018.

Syracuse vs. Colgate

When – Saturday, 4 pm ET

TV – ACC Network Extra/ESPN Plus

The Orange will debut new coordinators on both sides of the ball with 43-year-old Jason Beck taking over on offense and 72-year-old Rocky Long, who helped bring the 3-3-5 scheme to prominence, coming in from New Mexico to lead the defense.

Colgate returns its starting quarterback and top 2 rushers from a team that went 3-8 last year. But its defense is a total rebuild job.

Syracuse has won the past 16 meetings between the schools, including a 33-7 rout during 2016. This one should be just as lopsided. If not more so.

North Carolina vs. South Carolina at Charlotte, N.C.

When – Saturday, 7:30 pm ET

TV – ABC

This will be the 3rd time within 5 years that the Tar Heels and Gamecocks will face off against each other at Bank of America Stadium. The cross-border rivals split the 1st 2 games, with Sam Howell leading UNC from behind to win the 2019 season opener and South Carolina returning the favor in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

This season-opening meeting has the potential to be an entertaining, high-scoring affair featuring 2 of the nation’s top veteran quarterbacks – UNC’s Drake Maye and USC’s Spencer Rattler. The potential shootout has garnered so much interest that the ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew will be there to hype it.

The Tar Heels are a 2.5-point favorite, but there are plenty of variables at play, the most important of which is the status of UNC transfer wide receiver Tez Walker. He has been ruled ineligible as a 2-time transfer. But his status is still up in the air upon NCAA appeal.

Even without him, Maye figures to kick off his Heisman campaign with an emphatic passing performance against a Gamecocks defense that finished next-to-last in the SEC in sacks last season and allowed the 10th-most points in their league.

Of course, Rattler also will provide a serious early test for a UNC defense that replaced literally its entire secondary and bolstered an equally anemic pass rush with the addition of Florida State transfer Amari Gainer.

Virginia Tech vs. Old Dominion

When – Saturday, 8 pm ET

TV – ACC Network

The Monarchs weren’t good last year. They finished with a 3-9 record with a team that yielded 443 yards and scored an average of only 19.5 points per game. To make matters worse, most of the good players Old Dominion did have was poached by other programs through the transfer portal.

That includes its top receiver Ali Jennings III, whose contested catch at the 1 set up the go-ahead touchdown in an opening-week upset of the Hokies. Jennings has switched sides and now plays for the Hokies. He’s among several key transfers brought in to help Virginia Tech rebound from its own disappointing 3-win season that included the program’s 1st 7-game losing streak since 1951.

Even though Virginia Tech will have the edge in talent, it’s no guarantee of victory. ODU has won 2 of the past 3 meetings between the Commonwealth foes since 2018. On the plus side, the Hokies’ only win during that stretch came in Blacksburg.

Florida State vs. LSU at Orlando, Fla.

When – Sunday, 7:30 pm ET

TV – ABC

We won’t have to wait long to see if the offseason buzz surrounding the Seminoles was warranted. Or if the whole “FSU is back” narrative is just a lot of hot air.

The Seminoles return most of their key performers from a 2022 team that finished on a heater with 6 straight wins, including quarterback Travis Jordan, leading rusher Trey Benson and leading receiver Johnny Wilson on offense, and projected 1st-round NFL draft pick Jared Verse on defense.

But coach Mike Norvell wasn’t satisfied with standing pat. He and his staff bolstered their roster by recruiting the nation’s best transfer class, led by All-ACC cornerback Fentrell Cypress from Virginia.

FSU will have to be better against an LSU squad that also is vastly improved from the roster that dropped last year’s game in New Orleans in coach Brian Kelly’s debut. It took a blocked extra-point attempt with no time remaining for the Seminoles to escape with a victory that day.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels has a better supporting cast around him and the Tigers will be aiming for revenge. As if the rematch in Orlando didn’t have enough intrigue surrounding it, the NCAA provided even more last week when it suspended LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith for the game as punishment for receiving an improper benefit at a pre-NIL autograph signing.

Clemson at Duke  

When – Monday, 8 pm ET

TV – ESPN

The Blue Devils didn’t get any breaks from the ACC’s schedule-makers by drawing reigning league champion and preseason favorite Clemson in their opener. On the other hand, this might be the best time to play the Tigers.

If you’re going to get Dabo Swinney’s team, you better do it early before young quarterback Cade Klubnik and new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley find their rhythm together. It also helps that the nationally televised, prime-time game will be played in Durham, N.C., and not Clemson.

Even though there will be plenty of orange in the stands at Wallace Wade Stadium, the atmosphere won’t be nearly as intimidating as it would be at Death Valley.

Surprisingly, Duke will be the more experienced team. Mike Elko brings back 17 starters in all with 71% of their overall production back from a 9-win 2022 season. They also match up with the Tigers better than they have in the past both physically with veterans Graham Barton and Jacob Monk anchoring a veteran offensive line and in skill with the return of dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard.

Clemson has its share of star power as well, especially on defense where Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter and the ACC’s most talented linebacking corps will make life difficult for offenses throughout the fall.