The Atlantic Coast Conference has just released its complete slate of Friday night games for the 2026 college football season, promising a fresh lineup of prime‑time matchups that will stretch from early September through early December.
The schedule kicks off on September 4 with Miami traveling to Stanford, setting the tone for a series of high‑stakes Friday contests that will be broadcast nationally.
A marquee clash in Berkeley
California opens its season at home against UCLA on September 5, a game that marks the first non‑conference meeting between the two schools since 2023 and adds another chapter to a rivalry that has spanned 95 encounters, including at least one conference showdown every year from 1933 to 2023.
The excitement builds a few weeks later when Cal welcomes Clemson to California Memorial Stadium on September 25. It will be Cal’s ACC debut and the first time the Tigers have set foot in Berkeley, a meeting that has been eagerly anticipated by fans on both coasts.
The Friday night format continues with the ACC Championship Game slated for December 5 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the conference’s top two teams will battle for the title under the lights.
All games will be carried by the conference’s broadcast partners, with ESPN and ABC handling the bulk of the coverage, ensuring that viewers across the country can tune in for the action.