Around the Conference Table: ACC College Football 2025 - Week 0 & 1

Presented by Saucy Asian

Welcome back to Season 2 of Cal in the ACC. Let’s take a look at what our neighbors on the East Coast are doing.

Stanford @ Hawaii (Stanford loses 20-33)

Ben - Extend Frank Reich

Nick Kranz - After extensive research, I have determined that needing to fire your head coach in March has a negative impact on your ability to win football games. Further studies have also indicated that starting a QB who was a former back-up at Oregon State can also be damaging. More updates will come as detailed research into the depth and breadth of Stanford's misery continues.

Callie - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *pauses for breathe* AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Okay now that we got that out of the way. The game was Frank Reich’s to lose. Hawaii’s defense was out of gas, their run stop was gone, and their QB was on one leg for half of the 4th quarter. Despite driving well with it, Reich inexplicably stopped calling run plays. He also managed the game clock about as well as a 4th graded on freshman difficulty on CFB 26. Hawaii got the ball back with way too much time left, and they hobbled down the field to kick a game winning field goal off the foot of a Japanese kicker who learned place kicking through YouTube videos.

From the looks of things, Stanford could easily be worse than last year, and with no FCS cupcake on the schedule, it seems like their only shot at avoiding an 0-12 season is SJSU in week 5.

Rex Volcano - I’m sorry but I must again point out how funny it is that Stanford had the ball with 2:01 left on the clock in a tie game and a first down, then somehow burned *16 seconds* of clock before punting and lost. What an introduction to the Frank Reich experience.

Piotr T Le - Stanford lost to a Shonen Jump protagonist kicker about a mid 20s man who realized that his passion in life is kicking the ball real hard. Sumanai. Not Eyeshield 21 but we're getting there. (Also if you're Stanford, do not check the Hawaii @ Arizona score)

TD_24 - Stanford and UNC are in a tier of their own after week one. For shame, losing to a QB that had one leg.

Then again it does make Big Game easier on paper.

Christopher H - Stanford looked much worse than expected; they're definitely the more talented team. A tough debut for former Oregon State backup QB Ben Gulbranson (Stanford accepts transfers now, look how much it helped!), but this failure was on the defense, particularly the defensive play-calling, for how poorly they defended Hawaii's game-winning drive.

East Carolina @ NC State (NC State wins 24-17)

Ben - This is a game that happened I guess.

Callie - Beating the pirates by one score does not look good for NCSU. I didn’t watch this game so I can’t comment more.

Rex Volcano - ECU is sneaky good pretty frequently & an in-state rivalry win in Week 1 is something you take regardless of the score. NC State’s QB impressed me last year & I expect them to start strong - their schedule gets way tougher in October once they visit Notre Dame, and how they handle that step up will determine how far they go.

Piotr T Le - NC State scrapes by against an instate rival. Can 8-5 Doeren maintain pace to keep his tradition alive?

TD_24 - Am I crazy for expecting more? I know its a heated regional rivalry but I want to like NC State and they just end up not doing it for me.

Elon @ Duke (Duke wins 45-17)

Ben - Duke might be legit.

Nick Kranz - Elon is not a notably good FCS program, but Tulane transfer Darian Mensah throwing for 389 yards in his first game for Duke is still a little bit scary considering how successful Duke was last year without having a particularly effective passing offense.

Callie - The score doesn’t tell the whole story here. Elon kept it close (and even had a lead) with Duke until the second half. Overall it reminded me of Cal vs UC Davis (go Aggies) last season. The half time adjustments (and FBS depth) saved Duke, and Mensah got comfortable throwing close to 400 yards. Perhaps it was first game jitters, perhaps not. Duke doesn’t look as strong as I expected this year.

Rex Volcano - Due to muted words on my social media accounts I was unable to see any stats or highlights from this game. Good win for Duke I guess

TD_24 - Darian Mensah coming to Berkeley in a month is going to be a fascinating matchup. The score doesn't show it but Duke's secondary is elite and I want to watch them.

Christopher H - I watched this game and it was much closer than the final score appeared (Elon was down 24-17 in the 4th before their QB was injured and a punt return TD broke the dam). Duke had seemingly no idea how to stop the QB run or prevent runs up the middle despite a vastly superior defensive line. A lot of hype for Tulane transfer QB Darian Mensah, but I'm just not seeing it. This game should be an early warning sign for Duke fans.

Kennesaw State @ Wake Forest (Wake Forest wins 10-9)

Ben - Kennesaw St covered! Not sure wha that says about either team.

Nick Kranz - I watched about a quarter and a half of this game and it was a quarter and a half too much. Ugly in the extreme.

Callie - Neither team wanted to win, hence the 1920’s looking final score. Wake Forest didn’t show much signs of life the entire game. Not sure what else to say aside from: they struggled.

Rex Volcano - A win is a win, but also yikes? This KSU team went 2-10 after transitioning to FCS last year and the Wake fans did not seem to be thrilled about any of how this went.

Piotr T Le - 1 point win over Kennesaw State at home... Someone Wake Wake that football season began.

TD_24 - Wake is lucky they won this game otherwise they would be last in my ACC power rankings. I can't say what I called UNC during their game but they would've matched that assignment ten fold had they lost.

Christopher H - I forgot that Jake Dickert is at WF now. If I thought Duke's close call with an FCS school was problematic, then this one, well...

Georgia Tech @ Colorado (Georgia Tech wins 27-20)

Ben - Wasn’t really impressed by anything in this game.

Nick Kranz - Man am I glad Georgia Tech isn't on Cal's schedule.

Callie - When your first three drives end in Fumble, Fumble, Interception, you might need to rethink your offensive scheme. But Georgia Tech fought back, with crucial defensive stops in the 4th quarter to get them the lead with only a minute left in the game, and prevent a tie or comeback win from Colorado. Overall Georgia Tech is better than what was on display in Boulder, but I’ll be honest it’ll be tough to win games against good opponents if they don’t get a handle on that turnover differential.

Rex Volcano - Big win for #narratives and the ACC at large, and GT’s schedule this year (no FSU, Miami, ND, or Cal, the main conference threats outside of Clemson…) sets them up nicely now for a strong run. Georgia Tech winning 8 or 9 games this year wouldn’t surprise me.

Piotr T Le - Haynes King's Wear and Tear chart is just his entire body in blood red. That man should note where he is sore because maybe he discovers a new muscle that science has not uncovered.

TD_24 - If GT can literally hold on to the football, they beat the Buffs by 10+ points. They ran Colorado into the dirt by the end. Concerned about the hits Haynes King is taking.

Christopher H - GT overcame 3 early turnovers (unforced errors, not turnovers forced by the defense) to win this one, largely due to coach malpractice on the other side. I know it's a cliche for Madden players to think they could manage clock better than a real coach, but... not using timeouts to preserve clock at the end of the game? What are you doing?

9 LSU @ 4 Clemson (LSU wins 17-10)

Ben - Only thing I saw was a very red Brian Kelly and that he got trucked.

Nick Kranz - Man am I glad Clemson isn't on Cal's schedule.

Callie - Didn’t watch, but it’s clear Clemson is the front runner for the ACC. The game could’ve gone either way, and in this case LSU was covered by the football gods.

Rex Volcano - In this playoff era, probably about as harmless as losses get.

TD_24 - Stinker, stinker, stinker. Losing a big game to Brian Kelly in your season opener should qualify you for probation. Especially with all the returners Clemson had.

Christopher H - So Cade Klubnik (a Josh Allen type) is the ACC's leading NFL QB prospect, you say? Would be crazy if a freshman somewhere else looked more NFL-ready. I'm surprised Brian Kelly broke his streak of opening season losses; I was sure he'd flub this one too.

8 Alabama @ Florida State (Florida State wins 31-17)

Ben - Oh?

Nick Kranz - Man am I glad Florida State isn't on Cal's schedule.

Callie - Awwwwww God dammit Florida State is back. And also the Alabama dynasty might very well be over.

Rex Volcano - Is FSU actually good again, or has Alabama totally gone off the rails? Maybe neither? Maybe both? Games like this are my favorite part of week 1, except for the part where Florida State won a game and their fans are happy. That part is regrettable.

TD_24 - Performance of the weekend in the ACC in my opinion. This may be more of a referendum on Alabama by the end but FSU got on their hose and spanked the Tide.

Christopher H - I think this one was more a referendum on the state of Alabama football than the other way around, but yeesh.

East Texas A&M @ 16 SMU (SMU wins 42-13)

Ben - Yawn.

Nick Kranz - To be clear, this was not a close game. BUT! ETA&M is a newish FCS team that has struggled at that level, so if I were an SMU fan I'd be a little concerned that I only outgained them by 49 yards.

Callie - SMU looked tough, and ETAMU never had a hope against them. Although the 2024 Mustang team looked far better, it’s clear SMU belongs at the top of the ACC

Rex Volcano - SMU was already looking like Cal’s most important home game this year, but after what UNC did Sunday night (more on that later), it now looks like a much safer bet. They will be very good, and I look forward to seeing many of their fans experience Telegraph Avenue for the first time.

TD_24 - Yawn. SMU and Baylor should have a lot of points though!

Christopher H - You usually just want to get through these FCS matchups with no injuries, but that was not the case for SMU. A suffocating defense, but their offense looked a bit sloppy in this one. Unlike Duke and Wake Forest, I am reasonably sure SMU will clean this up.

Syracuse @ 24 Tennessee (Tennessee wins 45-26)

Ben - Yawn.

Nick Kranz - Between losing Kyle McCord and some other offensive weapons, and a really tough ACC schedule draw this year, Syracuse looks likely to fall back to just fighting for a bowl game this year.

Rex Volcano - From what I saw of this game, the score flatters Syracuse a bit. Tennessee looked like a solid, very expensively-assembled team in all phases, but I still expected Cuse to put up a bit more of a fight. They could bounce back and be fine, but this wasn’t a great start.

Piotr T Le - Transfer portal giveth and transfer portal taketh. Two teams experiencing the highs and lows of that. Just make sure Volunteer fans aren't dying of schetenfreude over the UCLA game.

TD_24 - Fran Brown's group has some work to do to recapture the magic of last year. I didn't think the defense would get shredded as easily as it did.

Christopher H - Haven't watched this one yet, but kind of annoyed that ESPN's replay doesn't include the last half of the 4th quarter. The game was already in hand by then, but still. I think Syracuse won a lot of coin flips last year, but I'm expecting a regression to the mean for them this year.

Duquesne @ Pitt (Pitt wins 61-9)

Ben - Oh?

Callie - Expected. Good job Pitt.

Rex Volcano - Some of my favorite offseason engagement on social media was with Pitt fans who were elated that I had labeled their team “morally acceptable” to support in a post. They seemed absolutely genuinely thrilled about it. Now that I have fully erased last year’s game against them from my memory, I’m excited to support their future endeavors.

TD_24 - Yawn. Wake me up when we get to the Backyard Brawl.

Christopher H - Now that's how you handle an FCS team. RB Desmond Reid is still a force to be reckoned with.

Fordham @ Boston College (Boston College wins 66-10)

Ben - Yawn.

Callie - Also expected. Good job Boston.

Rex Volcano - There is apparently only one Bill coaching in the ACC who we should be concerned about this season, and he has been married to an age-appropriate woman since 1998. This road trip is going to be a real test for Cal.

TD_24 - We are really getting into the doldrums of the non-conference schedules here.

Eastern Kentucky @ Louisville (Louisville wins 51-17)

Ben - Yawn.

Nick Kranz - Is it concerning that Louisville QBs threw three interceptions against their FCS opponent, or encouraging that Louisville blew them out anyways?

Callie - Also also expected. Good job Louisville.

Rex Volcano - Louisville QB Miller Moss should continue to put up big numbers this year, and the red Cardinal team (the bird one, not the evil one) could be ranked when we play, especially if they beat one or both of Miami and BC

TD_24 - Oh good lord. A few games in a row where you can't learn squat.

Christopher H - Like the Duke matchup, I saw some early warning signs here that made me believe Louisville is a bit overhyped. USC transfer Miller Moss was a one-read QB, and did not play commensurate with the amount of experience he has. If Eastern Kentucky's secondary is giving you trouble, that's not a good sign.

Coastal Carolina @ Virginia (Virginia wins 48-7)

Ben - Coastal?

Nick Kranz - Either Chandler Morris is an underrated gem, or Coastal Carolina is going to have a real tough year. Either this or Florida State were the two biggest positive surprises in the ACC in week 1.

Callie - Listen you may have noticed a pattern with my last 3 reviews, but honestly it was expected that these teams win by a lot. Hell if Duke hadn’t gone into halftime 10-10 against Elon, I would’ve said the same thing for them. Anyway, good job Virginia.

Rex Volcano - Virginia Coach Tony Elliott is going into Year 4 and kinda needs to make the leap this season. I applaud them for playing Wazzu in Week 8 for some reason, which could give them at least a partial share of the Pac-12 title if they can beat both Cal and Stanford too. We need to remember our game against them on 11/1 has implications for two conferences.

TD_24 - Virginia also gets one of the best performances of the week nominations from me. Tony Elliott is on the hot seat in my opinion so to see them dismantle CCU was a welcome surprise.

Christopher H - Coastal Carolina is not the same team you remember with Grayson McCall; they had 61 transfers (31 offense, 32 defense) and are effectively a brand new team. And we'll, that brand new team was awful. In contrast to Louisville's Miller Moss (I watched these games one after another), Virginia QB Chandler Morris (the Oklahoma/TCU/North Texas transfer) actually looked pretty solid once he found his rhythm. He manipulated the defense with his eyes and looked like a veteran signal caller out there. He got hurt late in the game, but seems it's not too serious and he'll be back.

TCU @ UNC (UNC loses 14-48)

Ben - Pre-laughing at this matchup. Either Sonny loses and we laugh or Bill loses and we laugh.

Rob Hwang - The crying Jordon meme hits so different.

Nick Kranz - It's really rare to see such a comprehensive beat down between nominally peer power conference programs. Belichick has had too much football success to dismiss him, but that was as bad a data point as he could possibly have thrown out there. UNC had problems that don't look solvable in one year.

Callie - Losing to TCU 48-14 is baaaaaad. The UNC offense floundered at all levels, and their defense rolled over. It’s pretty clear Belichick isn’t the guy for UNC, and has lost the juice. I hate to see Sonny Dykes happy, so I wanted to see Belichick put him down quickly. Instead I’m left scratching my head as to what the hell happened.

Rex Volcano - I’m sure there were plenty of people who expected TCU to win, but I was totally unprepared for how thoroughly Sonny Dykes dismantled and embarrassed UNC out there. Due to the impact of a decisive Sonny Dykes victory on many narratives I believe, I will have no further comment.

Piotr T Le - lol. lmao even. What surprised me wasn't the fact that the scheme might be not CFB appropriate, but the lack of fundamentals exhibited by the UNC defense. There were times where the tackling looked Andy Buh-esque to the point where I had to check if he wasn't accidentally on the team.

TD_24 - Chapel Bill ain't having no Chapel Thrill. That was.......BAD

Nothing worked, no one proved themselves, and it looked like a silver stained pile of you know what.

Christopher H - Belichick took this job to give his son job security, with his agreement with UNC to transition Stephen to head coach when he leaves. If Bill Belichick is such a football genius, why does he keep giving his idiot son a job?

Any other thoughts?

Nick Kranz - Man am I glad Miami isn't on Cal's schedule

Callie - A lot of weird outcomes for teams I expected to be at the top of the ACC.

Meanwhile, UC Davis beat Utah Tech 31-24, and are finally 1-0. They play Washington next week.

Rex Volcano - Miami vs ND: Nice win for Miami in a game that was very difficult to watch or choose a team to support. Notre Dame could lose 5 (6?) games and still be in playoff contention, so this doesn’t really mean anything for them

Piotr T Le - JKS looks like the best QB in the ACC, but Klubnik did face a much much much higher quality opponent.

TD_24 - So about that UNC vs Cal game on a Friday night in Berkeley....

Christopher H - I can't believe it only took 1 game (and JKS) to immediately reverse my football blues and get me fully aboard the Cal hype train. Playoffs, here we come! (Kidding. Unless...)

Rob Hwang - Much like Cal, there’s a lot of excitement after this week for a lot of fan bases, but there’s also fear for a bunch as well. We’re gonna overreact on all of this. It’s college football and it is the absolute best.