ACC Nation

Week 1 of college football opens the season for Louisville in Nashville against Ole Miss. The outcome may set the tempo for the rest of the year. An opening win, not just a field goal at the right time kind but one that demonstrates the effectiveness of both the offense and defense, may open the door to much bigger things. It sets up a really important matchup between SMU and the Cardinals in Louisville on September 19. Both teams are sitting neck and neck behind Miami in the ACC Nation Preseason Composite Rankings. it’s the kind of game that could decide who heads to Charlotte for a spot in the ACC Football Championship. That may be looking ahead a wee bit but there’s not doubt it places the winner in a sweet spot of the Top 25 rankings and that may lead to grabbing a playoff spot. Dalton Pence with Locked on Louisville podcast joins Will and Jim on ACC Nation to preview the Cardinals. Pence provides great insight into how key elements of the team need to come together. Will gets into the X’s and O’s with Dalton to give you a better look at what to expect when it comes to a new quarterback (fans will like what they hear) and what kind of weapons he’ll have to put points on the board. College Football What about the defense? Has the coaching staff filled in the blank spots sufficiently to keep Louisville in the game? Again, does Louisville have the juice? It’s a big question and so far they look like they can deliver. Follow ACC Nation on your favorite social media platforms and be sure to subscribe to our podcast and/or our YouTube channel for more college football.

It’s August and college football is almost here. ACC Nation previews Virginia with special guest Preston Willett of The Sabre and Hoos on Podcast. There’s probably more depth and experience than fans might think as plenty of familiar faces return and there’s an equal number of newbies ready to juice up the Hoos. Former Mizzou QB Beau Pribula takes the reins for the offense and you can expect a dynamic mix of runs and passes. The 6’4″, 225lb Pribula is no slouch coming out of the pocket and making good things happen. He’s joined in the quarterback room by three others including former Pitt QB Eli Holstein who measures out at 6’4″, 234lbs. A key part of making the offense click will be the offensive line which has plenty of the aforementioned depth and experience. Providing Pribula adequate time to work through his receiving options or opening up slots for an effective run game are looking solid. The expected trip to South America to open up the season against NC State dropped by the wayside earlier this year but it may have been a good learning experience for the ACC and possibly college football. Willett reflects on some of those lessons learned. College Football Will and Preston delve into the defense where Kam Robinson is a lynchpin at linebacker. Some familiar names return and transfers bolster the secondary. Virginia got a taste of what it’s like to be on top again after a long slog. The question is, can Tony Elliott keep the Cavaliers in that top 5 of the ACC year after year with the combination of recruiting and transfers? This season will help answer that question. Jim and Willett look at some games on the schedule especially the ones that could end up being big challenges and important to how the season plays out in the conference. Be sure to subscribe to ACC Nation podcast and watch us on YouTube.

College football kicks off in a month and Lawton Swann of Clemson Sports Talk joins Will and Jim on ACC Nation to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the Tigers.

Will and Jim light it up on ACC Nation Podcast as they talk about greed driving college sports, the Great White North as a venue for ACC football and it appears the relationship with Notre Dame as a member of the ACC is in need of counseling. If you haven’t heard the powers that be are driving college sports off a cliff with more than just talk about expansion and super-leagues. Basketball is the next victim. Football is continuing to expand. Who benefits? At what point is a line drawn in the sand and someone, anyone says, no more? Podcast Former ACC Commissioner John Swofford may not have a lot of fans and perhaps for good reason. One of the efforts initiated by Swofford was expanding the ACC into markets outside of the United States. It appears this idea have been ahead of the curve as more and more college and pro teams explore the potential. Not everyone is thrilled by having conference games in these new venues but the financial potential and increased eyes on product is too promising to pass up. This season North Carolina takes on TCU in Dublin and later that day NC State and Virginia go head-to-head in Rio de Janeiro. Next year, Syracuse and Wake Forest are scheduled for a Week Zero game in Toronto. You’ll find some, strong opinions on the podcast about the expansion in post-season play along with the super-conference concept. Speaking of opinions, apparently some school leaders in the ACC are beginning to find their threshold with Notre Dame and are more than willing to talk about it at the conference meeting. Find out where you can read more on that story on the podcast. Subscribe to ACC Nation Podcast and watch ACC Nation on YouTube.

The NFL Draft debuts Thursday, April 23 at 8:00pm ET in Pittsburgh under what early forecasts say will be ideal weather. The three-day event will air on the NFL Network, ABC and ESPN, each with a slightly different tilt in coverage. The first round is on Thursday followed by rounds 2-3 beginning on Friday at 7:00pm ET and the final rounds, 4-7 beginning at 12:00pm ET on Saturday. Special guest Adam Rank, an analyst and writer on the NFL Network, seen on NFL Fantasy Live and Good Morning Football, who is also on The Sick Podcast with Adam Rank joins Will and Jim on ACC Nation. Rank has a unique way of looking at the game and shares his thoughts on Round 1 of the NFL Draft and where he thinks players will be selected. Former Cal QB and Indiana starter Fernando Mendoza is expected to be the first pick on Thursday. The first round has a number of ACC players from Miami and Clemson. Rank talks about each of the first rounders and projects what team will be calling them on-stage in the NFL Draft. Want More ACC Sports News? Subscribe Now To ACC Nation Podcast. NFL Draft Be sure to follow Adam on NFL Network, check out his Fantasy Football on The Sick Podcast with Adam Rank where you can also get the latest Bears news as well. Listen to ACC Nation on your favorite platform for podcasts and streaming radio and watch us on YouTube. Be sure to hook up with us on social media by heading to the home page for all the links.

Who will coach North Carolina men and Virginia women? Will there be any players left as large numbers hit the Transfer Portal? ACC Nation’s Will and Jim light up the mic’s with a successful Easter Egg Hunt in their back pockets to look at the NCAA Tournaments. There were some highs and at least one notable, embarrassing low by a long-time coach. Could it be one of those tell-tale signs that time is catching up and they need to retire? Have You Subscribed To ACC Nation Podcast Yet? Speaking of coaches there are more than a fair share of changes at the position within the ACC. Two old school conference teams faced decisions regarding the tenure of their coach. North Carolina’s men’s basketball went hunting rabbits and came up empty-handed for longer than a storied program should have. The decision to go with Michael Malone raised a few eyebrows among fans. Coach Meanwhile in Charlottesville, women’s basketball fans were thrilled with the record setting post-season and then startled, no, shocked when a rather flat announcement was made that the school and coach were parting ways. Those that cover the Wahoos scrambled to find answers and eventually peeled away the layers to find what can best be described as a toxic environment that touched players and staff. Virginia take a quick look east to the University of Richmond for their next leader in Aaron Roussell. The Transfer Portal has been very active for ACC teams, both coming and going. A number of teams will be depending upon building their roster, at least this season by opening the bag for players seeking a new home. Will shares some of the more prominent names on the list. Want a quick fix for that ACC sports ‘Jones’ you have? Follow ACC Nation available as a podcast, on streaming radio and watch us on YouTube.

NCAA basketball is all wrapped up for the ACC but there is no bow this season. Men and women’s teams remaining in the tournament had their final appearance on the national stage after a good run in the post-season. Will and Jim open with the ‘shot heard round the world’ fired off by Braylon Mullins of UConn against Duke. A 35-foot three that lifted the Huskies into a one-point lead leaving just 0.4 seconds on the clock. The guys talk about tendencies that should be somewhat of a red flag for the Blue Devils. Ultimately, the buck always stops with the head coach. What can be done to correct those issues? One would imagine that was all the coaching staff and players thought about right through their dreams that evening. NFL Draft ’26 | Miami, Clemson Biggest ACC Contributors What players will or will not be returning for Duke next season? We’ll begin to find out as players declare for the NBA Draft and of course, some are graduating, others may even hit the portal. How fresh of a slate will there be in Durham as we head into another NCAA basketball season? NCAA Basketball There’s sports news to talk about with the NIT and WBIT. Both NCAA basketball tournaments are lined up to deliver their final matchups. The women play their championship on April 1 and the Final Four of the NIT is slated for April 2. Friday April 3 will deliver the women’s Final Four action with their championship matchup set for April 5. On Saturday, April 4 the men’s Final Four will set up the championship on Monday, April 6. As you can see, you have a busy few days ahead of you. Will and Jim talk about some of the missteps in organizing and coordinating the tournaments brought up by UConn’s Geno Auriemma, the need for better training for ref’s alluded to by ‘TV’ Teddy Valentine and the guys have their take on each of those as well. Have you subscribed to ACC Nation yet? Your friends have, why not join them? ACC Nation is available as a podcast, on YouTube and streaming radio. Be sure to check out all of our social media platforms and join us there as well.

At the mid-point of the season it looked as if ACC men’s basketball had re-emerged while the women were not quite up to snuff. Never, ever judge a book by it’s cover applies liberally in this instance. The conference women are demonstrating their prowess with North Carolina, Notre Dame, Virginia, Louisville and Duke all moving forward in the NCAA Tournament. Stanford and Cal have moved into the Quarterfinals of the WBIT with wins over Quinnipiac and Kansas State respectively. Listen To More ACC Nation Podcasts As for the men’s side only one team moves on in the NCAA Tournament and the door has been shut in the NIT for conference teams. Duke moves into the Sweet 16 with a win over TCU and will face St. John’s who nipped Kansas, 67-65. Basketball It’s been an amazing post-season run of basketball for both men and women with more than a fair share of close games, overtimes and upsets. You wouldn’t expect anything less at this time of year. Will and Jim take a look at a number of ACC teams and others playing for titles. The scores, some analysis and thoughts on how teams have and how they may perform moving forward. Listen, like and subscribe to ACC Nation podcast. The program is available on streaming radio and you can watch on our YouTube channel.

Will and Jim have more than one NCAA bracket to take a look at on this episode of ACC Nation. The guys start out with the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and take a look at more than just the ACC teams that received bids. You’ll hear about the matchups that stand out and should offer some exciting action. The big question is, can anyone take out the No. 1 seed, UConn? Coach Geno has yet another monster of a squad that has proven themselves all year long. NCAA Printable Bracket – Women’s Next up is the NIT where we find both Wake Forest and California grabbing spots that may further fine-tune their potential for next season. There’s more than a handful of No. 1 seeds to worry about in this NCAA bracket. Will and Jim point out some teams that you should go out of your way to watch as action gets underway. NIT Printable Bracket NCAA Bracket When you talk about an NCAA bracket you’re sure to grab attention when you start in with the men. It’s a bit of a brutal setup that doesn’t appear to open up any easy doors to the championship game. You want it? You’re going to have to really work hard for it this year. NCAA Printable Bracket – Men’s There are several teams in both the men’s and women’s tournaments that will have to ‘earn’ it with play-in games. On the men’s side, NC State and SMU have challenging foes to face in Texas and Miami (OH). If they make it to the second game they’ll be in for battle. On the women’s side, Virginia won’t have an easy play-in with Arizona State and that second game will be nasty. With all sports, if you want it, ‘earn it’. We’ll soon see which teams have the goods and can deliver. It’s a free ride to subscribe to ACC Nation Podcast so come join us on your favorite platform or watch us on YouTube. We’re also available on ACC Nation Radio streaming 24/7 for ACC sports fans around the world.

Megan Gauer, Bracketologist with HerHoopStats.com joins Will and Jim to talk women’s basketball. We take a broad look at teams from across all conferences that Gauer projects getting bids to the NCAA Tournament. Conference tournaments tossed in some curves with No. 1 seeds moving around at the last moment and it didn’t stop there. ACC Baseball | Jackets Tops, ‘Hoos Enter Top 25 We look at teams that added to their resumes at the end of the season and during conference tournaments that may have moved them into more secure spots. We’ll find out soon as the selection committee lays it all out for us on Sunday, March 15. We’ll follow that up on Monday with our thoughts and analysis. Women’s Basketball How does ACC women’s basketball stack up this season? The conference is right behind the Big Ten and SEC when it comes to numbers and there are teams that are coming into their own at the right time. ’26 ACC Wrestling Championship | Hokies Dominate As always, Will asks, ‘who are the Cinderella teams’? Gauer has one or two up her sleeve that you may want to make note of when filling in your own brackets. Follow us on YouTube, subscribe to our podcast and listen to us on streaming radio for more ACC sports.