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Duke and North Carolina will matchup against two of the last three BCS national champions to highlight the 2010 football schedule, which was released by the ACC on Thursday.
UNC will open its season against LSU, the 2007 national champions, on Sept. 4 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta, and Duke will host defending national champion Alabama on Sept. 18.
Duke and UNC — which will once again square off in the final game of the regular season after meeting in early November last year — also boast two of three toughest schedules in the ACC this upcoming season.
Based on opponents’ combined winning percentage from last season, the Tar Heels will face the toughest schedule as their opponents went 97-60 last season and eight went to bowl games. The Blue Devils’ opponents were 94-60 last season and seven teams went to bowl games. Virginia Tech has the second-toughest schedule as its opponents were 95-59 last season.
UNC will play six games in Kenan Stadium in 2010 and featured on its home schedule is a matchup against Clemson on Oct. 9. It will be the Tigers first trip to Chapel Hill since 2002 and the first meeting between the school’s since 2006.
The rest of the Tar Heels’ home schedule includes games against Georgia Tech (Sept. 18), East Carolina (Oct. 2), William & Mary (Oct. 30), Virginia Tech (Nov. 13) and N.C. State (Nov. 20).
UNC’s road games will be at Rutgers (Sept. 25), Virginia (Oct. 16) and includes two trips to Florida — Miami on Oct. 23 and Florida State on Nov. 6. It will also travel down 15-501 to face Duke on Nov. 27 in the regular season finale after ending the season at N.C. State in 2009.
“This is a challenging schedule that presents a tremendous opportunity for our football team,” UNC coach Butch Davis said in a statement “Having six home games and the Kickoff Game in Atlanta vs. LSU, will create a great amount of excitement for our fans, players and coaches.”
The Blue Devils will open the season at home against Elon on Sept. 4, and a week after hosting Alabama, will face Army on Sept. 25 at Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke has just one home game in the month of October — Miami on Oct. 16 — but plays three of its four November games in Durham. The Blue Devils will host Virginia (Nov. 6), Boston College (Nov. 13) and UNC (Nov. 27).
Duke’ five road games are at Wake Forest (Sept. 11), Maryland (Oct. 2), Virginia Tech (Oct. 23), at Navy (Oct. 30) and Georgia Tech (Nov. 20).
Two of N.C. State’s six home games this season will be Thursday night ESPN games as the Wolfpack will host Cincinnati on Sept. 16 and Florida State on Oct. 28. N.C. State will open the season with Western Carolina at Carter Finley Stadium on Sept. 4 and then get Virginia Tech (Oct. 2), Boston College (Oct. 9) and Wake Forest (Nov. 13) in Raleigh.
The Wolfpack will face Central Florida (Sept. 11), Georgia Tech (Sept. 25), East Carolina (Oct. 16), Clemson (Nov. 6), UNC (Nov. 20) and Maryland (Nov. 27) on the road next year.
North Carolina Sept. 4 LSU (in Atlanta)
Sept 11 OPEN
Sept 18 Georgia Tech
Sept 25 at Rutgers
Oct. 2 East Carolina
Oct. 9 Clemson
Oct. 16 at Virginia
Oct. 23 at Miami
Oct. 30 William & Mary
Nov. 6 at Florida State
Nov. 13 Virginia Tech
Nov. 20 NC State
Nov. 27 at Duke
Duke Sept. 4 Elon
Sept. 11 at Wake Forest
Sept. 18 Alabama
Sept. 25 Army
Oct. 2 at Maryland
Oct. 9 Open
Oct. 16 Miami
Oct. 23 at Virginia Tech
Oct. 30 at Navy
Nov. 6 Virginia
Nov. 13 Boston College
Nov. 20 at Georgia Tech
Nov. 27 UNC
N.C. State Sept. 4 Western Carolina
Sept. 11 at Central Florida
Sept. 16 Cincinnati
Sept. 25 at Georgia Tech
Oct. 2 Virginia Tech
Oct. 9 Boston College
Oct. 16 at East Carolina
Oct. 28 Florida State
Nov. 6 at Clemson
Nov. 13 Wake Forest
Nov. 20 at North Carolina
Nov. 27 at Maryland
