Conference: Home --- Florida State, Maryland, N.C. State, Virginia Tech; Road --- Boston College, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina
Nonconference: Home --- Gardner-Webb, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt; Road --- Syracuse
Bye: Week 4
Don’t play: Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia
Must-see: It's not every day that Notre Dame comes to the Dash. It's not like the Demon Deacons haven't had some interesting visitors in recent years (Nebraska and Stanford come to mind), but this is clearly the gem of the home schedule.
A favorable setup: There's only so much that can look good about the schedule a 3-9 team is about to face. Nonetheless, getting N.C. State early --- and at home --- while it is breaking in a new quarterback is probably as good an opener as the Deacons' could have hoped for.
And not so much: Florida State and Virginia Tech in consecutive weeks --- whether home, road or a galaxy far, far away --- does not bode well for the Demon Deacons. There could be some lumps absorbed in mid-October.
The full schedule:
Sept. 3: at Syracuse
Sept. 10: N.C. State
Sept. 17: Gardner-Webb
Oct. 1: at Boston College
Oct. 8: Florida State
Oct. 15: Virginia Tech
Oct. 22: at Duke
Oct. 29: at North Carolina
Nov. 5: Notre Dame
Nov. 12: at Clemson
Nov. 19: Maryland
Nov. 26: Vanderbilt
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