What are the Top Five 2025 Conference Games in the ACC?

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Mark Pszonak | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 8:03 AM ET

Most of the attention has been given to the top early season out-of-conference games, but there are plenty of conference games that will be vital in determining the playoff chase in 2025. Here are the top five games to watch in the ACC this season.

1. SMU at Clemson (Saturday, October 18^th)

The skinny: The rematch of last season’s ACC Championship, this will be a serious mid-season test for both teams. The Mustangs have a couple of hurdles to navigate before traveling to Clemson (Baylor, at TCU, Syracuse), while the Tigers have a few challenges that are a bit steeper (LSU, at Georgia Tech, Syracuse, at North Carolina). This will undoubtedly be a huge game in the ACC but also has the potential to be very important nationally.

2. Clemson at Louisville (Friday, November 14th)

The skinny: While Clemson has gone 8-1 in this series, the most important one to remember in 2025 is the Cardinals 33-21 victory in Death Valley last season. This was the only conference loss of the season for Clemson, which will be very eager to try and extract revenge on a Friday night in Louisville.

Nov 2, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm (left) meets with Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney after a game at Memorial Stadium. Louisville won 33-21© Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

3. Miami-Florida at SMU (Saturday, November 1st)

The skinny: Not only is this the first matchup between these two teams since SMU joined the ACC, but it is also only their second game ever, with the first coming way back in 1965. On top of that, SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee was the offensive coordinator with Miami prior to getting the job in Dallas, which helped the Mustangs grab numerous Cane transfers in recent years.

4. Clemson at North Carolina (Saturday, October 4^th)

The skinny: What better way to introduce Bill Belichick to the ACC than having his first conference game at home against Clemson. If the Tar Heels can navigate the first four games (TCU, at Charlotte, Richmond, at UCF), Chapel Hill will produce an amazing atmosphere for this game/event.

5. Miami-Florida at Florida State (Saturday, October 4th)

The skinny: It could easily be argued that there are more important games on the ACC schedule, but for the sake of intrigue and curiosity, this is at #5. And most of that intrigue and curiosity is towards Florida State. Will they rebound after the disastrous 2024 season? One good way to ease the pain from last season is beating a bitter rival at home during an early season test.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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