NC/ACC Week Four CFB Previews & Schedules:
App-NC State, Wake-Louisville Among Highlights
As Duke, ECU Seek Momentum-Building Details
(DG’s Weekly CFB YouTube Show = Below)
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated Sept. 23, 2026)
The 2026 college football season continues Thursday through Saturday with a compelling Week Four schedule that includes six North Carolina-based Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in action, including a head-to-head matchup between Appalachian State and NC State in Raleigh.
The most prominent games nationally include #1 Texas (3-0) taking on #14 Tennessee (3-0) in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon (noon, ABC), a showdown between first-year head coaches as #4 Ole Miss (3-0) visits #21 Florida (3-0) at The Swamp later Saturday (3:30 p.m., ABC), and then a fascinating prime-time Big Ten clash between #20 Oregon (2-1) and #12 Southern Cal (4-0) on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., NBC).
Meanwhile, from the wide-ranging schedule (please see at bottom) involving teams from the Bold North State, below are more details from this week’s “Three To See” in-state selections, plus brief notes on two other compelling Week Four matchups.
NC/ACC “Three To See,” Game One
App State (3-0) at NC State (1-2), Sat., 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
As a starting point for this one, while it’s accurate to say that NC State is 6-0 all-time against App State in football, it’s important to add as relevant context that all six of those matchups occurred when the Mountaineers were still members of the FCS ranks, meaning before their 2014 jump to FBS status and membership in the Sun Belt Conference.
Also, like this game on Saturday night, all six of those previous contests were played in Raleigh.
Interestingly, though, this time the Mountaineers will enter the game with a perfect 3-0 record, whereas coach Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack sit at an extremely disappointing 1-2, with the two losses being the team’s season-opening embarrassment at Virginia and last week’s stunning last-second, self-inflicted-wound defeat at Vanderbilt.
If the Wolfpack had won at Vandy — and, remember, the Pack led 24-7 midway through the third quarter and 31-21 midway through the fourth quarter — the conversation around the team would have been overwhelmingly positive. The offense, which was horrific at UVa, played very well for the second game in a row.
Quarterback CJ Bailey threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns and also had a big 28-yard run. Backup QB Will Wilson gave the offense a huge lift with his ground game, including a 38-yard TD run on an early third-and-short play. Wide receiver Keenan Jackson has stepped up as Bailey’s #1 target in the passing game; Jackson had nine catches for 102 yards and three scores against the Commodores. Duke Scott and UNC transfer Davion Gause were a solid one-two punch at tailback, with Gause also effective as a receiver out of the backfield. Wide receiver Victor Snow, the Buffalo transfer, still hasn’t helped much in the passing game, but he did have a huge punt return at Vandy.
App State will arrive in Raleigh with significant confidence, even beyond the team’s shiny 3-0 record, which included narrow wins over ECU and Charlotte.
Unlike last year, the Mountaineers have a quarterback they believe in, with Purdue transfer Malachi Singleton, who’s completing almost 75 percent of his throws and leading the Sun Belt with almost 300 passing yards per game. Their defense, led by linebacker Colton Phares and defensive end Caleb Sandstrom, is giving up only 16 points per game.
In addition, whereas typically the Wolfpack might have a huge advantage in the trenches in this matchup, it’s not clear that’s the case this time. Neither State’s offensive line nor its pass rush has been particularly effective this season.
Either the Wolfpack (a 14-point favorite) will set the tone early at the line of scrimmage, pound the Mountaineers with the running game, and make Singleton uncomfortable in the pocket or the App State players are going to quickly start to believe that they’re capable of posting the first win over NC State in the history of their program.
Will that happen? Probably not. But it’s largely up to the NC State linemen, from the opening snap, to prevent this from becoming a second straight nail-biter game for the Pack.
NC/ACC “Three To See,” Game Two
Wake Forest (2-1) at #16 Louisville (2-1), Sat., noon (ESPN)
As a starting point for this one, remember that Wake Forest’s only loss so far this season was a competitive game against a top-10 Miami squad, and Louisville’s only loss this season was a 41-38 contest against top-10 Ole Miss.Coach Jeff Brohm and the Cardinals are coming off a very impressive 41-31 home victory over fellow ACC contender SMU, however, whereas the Demon Deacons’ biggest victory came in overtime at Purdue, one of the worst teams in the Big Ten this year.
Whether you’re measuring football budgets, NFL-caliber talent or college-level production, Louisville just has more than Wake Forest right now — in some cases a little more, in other cases a lot more.
For example, the Cardinals have perhaps the best running back tandem in the ACC in Isaac Brown, who’s not off to a great start this year, and his backup Keyjuan Brown, who is averaging an astonishing 13 yards per carry so far this season. In the passing game, whereas Wake has an outstanding wide receiver in Carlos Hernandez, Louisville has two big-time wideouts in Florida State transfer Lawayne McCoy and Vanderbilt transfer Tre Richardson, plus a productive tight end in former Miami player Jaleel Skinner.
Similarly, on defense, both teams have a handful of proven performers, but the most extraordinary talent is probably Louisville’s fifth-year senior end Clev Lubin, an absolute nightmare of a pass-rusher who can line up over your right tackle or your left tackle and wreak havoc on your quarterback.
Speaking of quarterbacks, the bottom line for second-year head coach Jake Dickert and Wake Forest is that Gio Lopez (the UNC transfer) is going to have to have a better day than Lincoln Kienholz (the Ohio State transfer) if the Demon Deacons are going to have any chance of winning this game.
Both Lopez and Kienholz are dual-threat guys, and both are off to good starts for their new teams, but Lopez is in his third year as a college starter, whereas Kienholz — who was entirely a backup for the Buckeyes — has only three college starts under his belt at this point.
It would be hugely helpful if Wake’s defensive front, led by ends Langston Hardy and Gabe Kirschke and linebacker Vinny Firenze, can pressure Kienholz and create some turnovers, because the Cardinals have the benefit of the stronger running game, the wider variety of high-caliber passing targets and the more experienced offensive line.
Meanwhile, it would help Lopez a lot if the Deacons (a 12-point underdog) could run even a little bit — that has not been a strength for Wake so far this season — against an aggressive Louisville defense that forced six turnovers in its first three games but also showed some vulnerability in those high-scoring games against Ole Miss and SMU.
NC/ACC “Three To See,” Game Three
William & Mary (2-2) at Duke (3-0), Sat., 3:30 p.m. (ACCNX)
There is essentially zero doubt regarding who is going to win this game, so here are three other things worth watching as something inevitable plays out on the scoreboard in Durham on Saturday.
First, with Duke sophomore running back Nate Sheppard leading the nation in rushing by a wide margin, and with Sheppard going against a William & Mary defense that hasn’t been able to stop anyone this season, how many carries will Sheppard get?
If third-year Duke coach Manny Diaz wants Sheppard to be a first-team All-America candidate, or perhaps even a serious Heisman Trophy contender, Diaz realizes that full-season numbers matter a lot for such things, and he also knows that the Tribe offers the perfect opportunity for Sheppard to inflate those numbers. At the same time, of course, Duke wants to keep Sheppard as fresh and healthy as possible for the more difficult games on the Blue Devils’ schedule, including road trips to Georgia Tech, Virginia, NC State, Miami and Wake Forest.
Second, with Duke starting quarterback Walker Eget (a sixth-year senior transfer from San Jose State) off to a mediocre start this season, might a matchup against William & Mary provide an opportunity for him to build some chemistry with someone beyond Sheppard and veteran tight end Jeremiah Hasley? The only other Duke pass-catcher with more than three receptions this season is sixth-year Idaho State transfer Jonah Burton, who has eight catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Finally, with Diaz’s coaching future in mind, how many Duke fans will attend this game against an FCS opponent? Before, during and after the Blue Devils’ 2025 ACC championship season, the Wallace Wade Stadium atmosphere — at least a majority of the time — has paled in comparison to most at the Power Four level.
With recent Duke head coach Mike Elko quickly bolting for Texas A&M after two successful seasons in Durham, and with Diaz’s alma mater Florida State — among other prominent programs — possibly in the market for a new head coach at the end of this season, it’s fair to wonder whether a coach who might be on his way to a third consecutive nine-win season with the Blue Devils might have a wandering eye if he keeps winning at a high level and yet Duke fans’ game-day support continues to fall well short of fully appreciating that extremely uncommon level of accomplishment on the gridiron in Durham.
Quick-Hitters Involving Other NC Teams
NC Central (2-2) at ECU (1-2), Sat., 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
The most intriguing aspect of this game is how East Carolina’s quarterbacks perform against NC Central. The Eagles are a very solid and well-coached FCS program, but they gave up 42 points to Texas Southern and 44 points to Gardner-Webb in their two losses at the FCS level earlier this year. For the Pirates to get where they want to go this season, either seventh-year senior Mitch Griffis or Miami Hurricanes transfer Emory Williams has to emerge as an above-average starting QB. In last week’s 20-17 victory at ODU, ECU’s two touchdowns came on a trick double-pass play and a pick-six by the Pirates’ defense, and that’s just not a sustainable way to win football games. The Pirates are a 34-point favorite over Central, but their offense specifically needs to put up some big numbers against this lesser opponent to build some confidence, because the team’s eight-game American Conference schedule begins in just two weeks.
Mars Hill (3-0) at #16 Carson-Newman (4-0), Sat., 1 p.m. (FloCollege)
Mars Hill is a private university located north of Asheville, so far west here in the Bold North State that it’s just 11 miles from the Tennessee border. The Lions’ football team competes at the Division Two level and is 3-0 to start this season under second-year head coach Kevin Barnette, a Mars Hill native and alumnus, a former Mars Hill player, and a long-time Mars Hill assistant coach. On Saturday in Jefferson City, Tenn., the undefeated Lions have a huge opportunity against 4-0 Carson-Newman, which is ranked #16 in this week’s Division Two poll.
NOTE: For the national edition of our Week Four college football preview, including analysis on the highest-profile games, please click HERE.
NC Football Bowl Subdivision (Seven Teams)
(Games Saturday Unless Otherwise Indicated)
Wake Forest (2-1) at #16 Louisville (2-1), noon (ESPN)
William & Mary (2-2) at Duke (3-0), 3:30 p.m. (ACCNX)
NC Central (2-2) at East Carolina (1-2), 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
Louisiana (2-1) at Charlotte (0-3), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Appalachian State (3-0) at NC State (1-2), 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Open Week: North Carolina (2-1)
Atlantic Coast Conference (17 Teams)
Clemson (2-1) at California (2-1), 10:30 p.m. (ESPN) — Friday
Wake Forest (2-1) at #16 Louisville (2-1), noon (ESPN)
Bucknell (1-3) at Pittsburgh (3-0), noon (ACCNX)
Virginia Tech (3-0) at Boston College (2-1), noon (ACCN)
Central Arkansas (2-2) at Florida State (1-2), 3 p.m. (ACCN)
William & Mary (2-2) at Duke (3-0), 3:30 p.m. (ACCNX)
Delaware (2-1) at Virginia (2-1), 6 p.m. (ACCN)
Central Michigan (2-1) at #6 Miami (3-0), 6:30 p.m. (The CW)
Appalachian State (3-0) at NC State (1-2), 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Missouri State (1-2) at #22 SMU (2-1), 9 p.m. (ACCN)
Georgia Tech (1-2) at Stanford (1-2), 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Open Week: North Carolina (2-1), Syracuse (1-2)
NC Football Championship Subdivision (Seven Teams)
Drake (0-3) at Davidson (2-2), 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
Maine (1-3) at Elon (3-1), 2 p.m. (FloCollege)
Gardner-Webb (1-3) at Marshall (2-1), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Western Carolina (2-2) at ETSU (2-2), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
NC Central (2-2) at East Carolina (1-2), 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
FCS #21 Rhode Island (2-2) at NC A&T (0-4), 4 p.m. (FloCollege)
Campbell (3-1) at Hampton (1-3), 6 p.m. (FloCollege)
Open Week: none
NC Division Two (13 Teams)
Bowie State (0-3) at Elizabeth City State (0-3), 1 p.m. (CIAA)
Winston-Salem State (0-4) at Virginia State (3-1), 1 p.m. (CIAA)
Virginia Union (3-1) at Fayetteville State (2-2), 1 p.m. (CIAA)
Livingstone (2-2) at Shaw (3-1), 1 p.m. (CIAA)
Monroe (1-2) at UNC Pembroke (3-1), 1 p.m. (CCDN)
Mars Hill (3-0) at #16 Carson-Newman (4-0), 1 p.m. (FloCollege)
Lenoir-Rhyne (2-2) at Anderson (3-1), 2 p.m. (FloCollege)
West Alabama (3-1) at Barton (1-3), 4 p.m. (CCDN)
Catawba (2-2) at Tusculum (2-2), 6 p.m. (FloCollege)
UVa-Wise (0-4) at Wingate (1-3), 6 p.m. (FloCollege)
Open Week: Chowan (2-2), Johnson C Smith (3-1)
NC Division Three (Five Teams)
Methodist (0-2) at Apprentice (2-2), 1 p.m. (YouTube)
Brevard (2-0) at Guilford (1-1), 6 p.m. (FloCollege)
Open Week: Greensboro (1-2), North Carolina Wesleyan (2-1)
