ACC releases full football schedule for 2022 season

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Atlantic Coast Conference released its 2022 football schedule Monday night. The year will mark the 70th season of ACC football.

"As we look ahead to the 2022 ACC football season, there is tremendous excitement within the conference and our 14 football programs," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips. "As usual, the schedule features incredibly competitive league contests as well as arguably the toughest collection of non-conference opponents. We look forward to watching our extraordinary student-athletes compete for championships and appreciate the work of our television partners in making every game accessible to our fans."

The ACC said its non-conference schedule will be the most difficult in the country. There will be 21 games against Power 5 opponents and eight non-conference games against teams ranked in the final 2021 Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The season opens Aug. 27 when North Carolina hosts Florida A&M and Florida State hosts Duquesne.

On Sept. 2, Duke will play host to Temple in a Friday contest.

The following day sees Triangle schools visiting in-state opponents, with the Tar Heels visiting Appalachian State, and NC State traveling to East Carolina.

If you're already wondering about bowl games, the ACC has postseason agreements to play the Pac-12 in both the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl and the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. In 2022, the ACC will play a Big Ten team in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium and the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte.

The ACC championship game will be played Dec. 3 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Some of the highlights for the Wolfpack, which brought home the Holiday Bowl trophy after the game was canceled because of UCLA's COVID-19 woes, include a Sept. 17 home game against Texas Tech, Oct. 1 matchup at Clemson, home matchups against Florida State (Oct. 8) and Wake Forest (Nov. 5) and a regular-season finale at North Carolina on Nov. 25, a Friday night. The Pack finished 9-3 last season, according to the NCAA -- or 10-3 if you ask the university, which counted the bowl game as a win.

For the Tar Heels, who ended a disappointing 2021 season at 6-7 after a loss to South Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, a Sept. 24 home game against Notre Dame looms large. On Oct. 15, the Heels are at Duke and later host defending ACC champions Pitt on Oct. 29. There's also a key matchup Nov. 12 at Wake Forest and the aforementioned home finale against N.C. State.

Duke, looking to rebuild under new coach Mike Elko, has home games against Virginia on Oct. 1, Virginia Tech on Nov. 12 and closes the regular season with a Nov. 26 trip to Wake Forest. The Blue Devils finished 3-9 last year and lost all eight conference games.

Click here for a full, printable schedule for every ACC team.