ACC Announces 2006 Football Schedule

by Press Release - Wed Jan 25 16:46:36 GMT-04:00 2006

Clemson's 2006 football schedule includes six bowl teams, including road games at Atlantic Division rivals Boston College and Florida State to open the ACC schedule in early September. Clemson also travels to Virginia Tech for a Thursday evening game in late October. The schedule was released Wednesday by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"This is again a very challenging schedule," said Head Coach Tommy Bowden. "We will face seven teams that won at least seven games last year, including two of the top teams in the ACC, within our first three games, both on the road. Plus, we have to go to Virginia Tech, who won more games than any other ACC team last year.

"We will play 11 consecutive weeks to open the season. That is a positive if you get on a roll, like we did in 2000 (when Clemson played the first 10 weeks of the season), but it can be a negative if you run into injury problems." This will be the first time Clemson has played 11 consecutive weeks since 1986.

Clemson will have a 12-game regular season schedule in 2006, the third time Clemson has played a 12-game regular season schedule. The other seasons were 2002 and 2003.

The Tigers will open and close the 2006 season against teams led by coaches who have won the national championship. Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger guided Miami (FL) to the 1983 National Championship and he will bring his team to Death Valley in the season opener. Steve Spurrier will bring the South Carolina Gamecocks to Death Valley in the season finale November 25. Spurrier coached Florida to the 1996 National Championship. Bowden has gained seven wins over coaches who have won the national championship since 2003.

Clemson's next two games are on the road against ACC upper echelon teams Boston College (September 9) and Florida State (September 16). The Eagles are the only school in the nation to have won a bowl game each of the last six seasons and finished with a 9-3 record in 2005, while Florida State is the defending ACC Champion. It will be Clemson's first trip to Boston since 1983 when Doug Flutie handed the Tigers their only loss in a 9-1-1 season. This will be the earliest date on the calendar that Clemson has played in Tallahassee since 1993. The Tigers have not won at Florida State since 1989.

Clemson will return home to face North Carolina on September 23. It will be North Carolina's only game at Clemson between 2004 and 2011. The Tigers won a thrilling 36-28 game at Death Valley in 2003 the last time the two teams met.

Clemson will meet Louisiana Tech in Death Valley on September 30 or on October 14. The exact date of the Louisiana Tech game and the Temple game will be determined at a later date. It will be the third meeting between the two schools, the first since 2002 when Louisiana Tech opened the season at Clemson. The two teams also met in the 2001 Humanitarian Bowl. Louisiana Tech finished the 2005 season with a 7-4 record after winning five of its last six games, including a victory over Fresno State. Louisiana Tech is coached by Jack Bicknell, whose father coached against Clemson in Death Valley for Boston College in 1982. It is the only father-son combination to coach against Clemson in Death Valley.

The Tigers will travel to Wake Forest for the third time in the last four years on October 7, then play in the state of Pennsylvania for the first time since 1947 (at Duquesne) when the Tigers play at Lincoln Financial Field against Temple on October 14. The Temple game could be played on September 30.

Four of the last five games will be at home. Clemson will attempt to end its two-game losing streak against Georgia Tech when the Yellow Jackets come to Death Valley on October 21. The two teams have played games decided by five points or less nine of the last 10 years.

Clemson will then play at Virginia Tech in a Thursday night matchup on ESPN on October 26. The contest will be just five days after the Georgia Tech game and will be just the fourth time since 1933 that Clemson has had just four days in between games. It will be the first meeting between Clemson and Virginia Tech since the Gator Bowl at the conclusion of the 2000 season. They also met in the regular season in 1998 at Clemson and at Virginia Tech in 1999 in Tommy Bowden's first season as Tiger head coach.

Clemson concludes the season with three consecutive home games for the first time since 1998. Maryland travels to Death Valley on November 4. The Tigers have won consecutive games by four points or less against the Terps, while NC State will close Clemson's ACC schedule on Saturday November 11. It will be just the second time in the last five years that the two teams have played on a Saturday.

Clemson and Florida State are the only two ACC teams who will conclude their ACC schedule on November 11. There will be nine more conference games to be played November 18-25. Atlantic Division rival Boston College will have two more conference games after Clemson's league season is concluded. The ACC Championship game will be held December 2 in Jacksonville, FL.

The Tigers will have two weeks to prepare for South Carolina, as the annual state rivalry game will be played the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the first time since 1984. The November 25 date is the latest for the South Carolina game since the two teams played on the same date in 1978.

Clemson will not play ACC teams Miami (FL), Duke or Virginia during the regular season. It will be the first time Clemson has not played Duke since 1964.

Bowden also announced that Spring practice would start Saturday March 4 and conclude with the annual Spring Game at Death Valley on April 8.

Clemson 2006 Football Schedule

Date Opponent

Sept. 2 Florida Atlantic

Sept. 9 at Boston College

Sept. 16 at Florida State

Sept. 23 North Carolina

Sept. 30 Louisiana Tech or at Temple

Oct. 7 at Wake Forest

Oct. 14 at Temple or Louisiana Tech

Oct. 21 Georgia Tech

Oct. 26 at Virginia Tech

Nov. 4 Maryland

Nov. 11 NC State

Nov. 25 South Carolina

Home Games in Bold

Kickoff times to be announced

Opponents on Sept. 30 and Oct. 14 to be determined

Note: Spring Game at Death Valley, April 8, 1:00 PM

2006 ACC Schedule

Thursday, August 31 Boston College at Ohio Saturday, September 2 Florida Atlantic at Clemson Richmond at Duke Notre Dame at Georgia Tech William & Mary at Maryland Rutgers at North Carolina Appalachian State at NC State Virginia at Pittsburgh Northeastern at Virginia Tech Syracuse at Wake Forest Monday, September 4 Florida State at Miami Saturday, September 9 Clemson at Boston College Duke at Wake Forest Virginia Tech at North Carolina Troy at Florida State Samford at Georgia Tech Middle Tennessee at Maryland Florida A&M at Miami Akron at NC State Wyoming at Virginia Saturday, September 16 Clemson at Florida State Duke at Virginia Tech Brigham Young at Boston College Troy at Georgia Tech Maryland at West Virginia Miami at Louisville Furman at North Carolina NC State at Southern Mississippi Western Michigan at Virginia Wake Forest at Connecticut Thursday, September 21 Virginia at Georgia Tech Saturday, September 23 Boston College at NC State North Carolina at Clemson Rice at Florida State Florida International at Maryland Cincinnati at Virginia Tech Wake Forest at Mississippi Saturday, September 30 Virginia at Duke Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech Maine at Boston College Louisiana Tech at Clemson Houston at Miami Liberty at Wake Forest Thursday, October 5 Florida State at NC State Saturday, October 7 Clemson at Wake Forest Maryland at Georgia Tech North Carolina at Miami Virginia at East Carolina Duke at Alabama Thursday, October 12 Virginia Tech at Boston College Saturday, October 14 Florida State at Duke Maryland at Virginia Wake Forest at NC State Clemson at Temple Florida International at Miami South Florida at North Carolina Thursday, October 19 North Carolina at Virginia Saturday, October 21 Boston College at Florida State Georgia Tech at Clemson Miami at Duke NC State at Maryland Southern Mississippi at Virginia Tech Thursday, October 26 Clemson at Virginia Tech Saturday, October 28 Florida State at Maryland Miami at Georgia Tech Wake Forest at North Carolina NC State at Virginia Buffalo at Boston College Vanderbilt at Duke Saturday, November 4 Boston College at Wake Forest Maryland at Clemson Virginia at Florida State Georgia Tech at NC State Virginia Tech at Miami North Carolina at Notre Dame Navy at Duke Saturday, November 11 Duke at Boston College NC State at Clemson Wake Forest at Florida State Georgia Tech at North Carolina Miami at Maryland Kent State at Virginia Tech Saturday, November 18 Maryland at Boston College Duke at Georgia Tech Miami at Virginia NC State at North Carolina Virginia Tech at Wake Forest Western Michigan at Florida State Thursday, November 23 Boston College at Miami Saturday, November 25 North Carolina at Duke Wake Forest at Maryland Virginia at Virginia Tech Georgia Tech at Georgia Florida at Florida State South Carolina at Clemson East Carolina at NC State Saturday, December 2 ACC Championship Game, Jacksonville, Fla.

Clemson
Sept. 2	Florida Atlantic
Sept. 9	at Boston College
Sept. 16	at Florida State
Sept. 23	North Carolina
Sept. 30	Louisiana Tech or at Temple
Oct. 7	at Wake Forest
Oct. 14	Louisiana Tech or at Temple
Oct. 21	Georgia Tech
Oct. 26 (Thurs.)	at Virginia Tech
Nov. 4	Maryland
Nov. 11	NC State
Nov. 18	Open
Nov. 25	South Carolina

Boston College
Aug. 31 (Thurs.)	at Ohio
Sept. 9	Clemson
Sept. 16	Brigham Young
Sept. 23	at NC State
Sept. 30	Maine
Oct. 7	Open
Oct. 12 (Thurs.)	Virginia Tech
Oct. 21	at Florida State
Oct. 28	Buffalo
Nov. 4	at Wake Forest
Nov. 11	Duke
Nov. 18	Maryland
Nov. 23 (Thurs.)	at Miami

Duke
Sept. 2	Richmond
Sept. 9	at Wake Forest
Sept. 16	at Virginia Tech
Sept. 23	Open
Sept. 30	Virginia
Oct. 7	at Alabama
Oct. 14	Florida State
Oct. 21	Miami
Oct. 28	Vanderbilt
Nov. 4	Navy
Nov. 11	at Boston College
Nov. 18	at Georgia Tech
Nov. 25	North Carolina

Florida State
Sept. 4 (Mon.)	at Miami
Sept. 9	Troy State
Sept. 16	Clemson
Sept. 23	Rice
Sept. 30	Open
Oct. 5 (Thurs.)	at NC State
Oct. 14	at Duke
Oct. 21	Boston College
Oct. 28	at Maryland
Nov. 4	Virginia
Nov. 11	Wake Forest
Nov. 18	Western Michigan
Nov. 25	Florida

Georgia Tech
Sept. 2	Notre Dame
Sept. 9	Samford
Sept. 16	Troy
Sept. 21 (Thurs.)	Virginia
Sept. 30	at Virginia Tech
Oct. 7	Maryland
Oct. 14	Open
Oct. 21	at Clemson
Oct. 28	Miami
Nov. 4	at NC State
Nov. 11	at North Carolina
Nov. 18	Duke
Nov. 25	at Georgia

Maryland
Sept. 2	William & Mary
Sept. 9	Middle Tennessee
Sept. 16	at West Virginia
Sept. 23	Florida International
Sept. 30	Open
Oct. 7	at Georgia Tech
Oct. 14	at Virginia
Oct. 21	NC State
Oct. 28	Florida State
Nov. 4	at Clemson
Nov. 11	Miami
Nov. 18	at Boston College
Nov. 25	Wake Forest

Miami
Sept. 4 (Mon.)	Florida State
Sept. 9	Florida A&M
Sept. 16	at Louisville
Sept. 23	Open
Sept. 30	Houston
Oct. 7	North Carolina
Oct. 14	Florida International
Oct. 21	at Duke
Oct. 28	at Georgia Tech
Nov. 4	Virginia Tech
Nov. 11	at Maryland
Nov. 18	at Virginia
Nov. 23 (Thurs.)	Boston College

North Carolina
Sept. 2	Rutgers
Sept. 9	Virginia Tech
Sept. 16	Furman
Sept. 23	at Clemson
Sept. 30	Open
Oct. 7	at Miami
Oct. 14	South Florida
Oct. 19 (Thurs.)	at Virginia
Oct. 28	Wake Forest
Nov. 4	at Notre Dame
Nov. 11	Georgia Tech
Nov. 18	NC State
Nov. 25	at Duke

NC State
Sept. 2	Appalachian State
Sept. 9	Akron
Sept. 16	at Southern Mississippi
Sept. 23	Boston College
Sept. 30	Open
Oct. 5 (Thurs.)	Florida State
Oct. 14	Wake Forest
Oct. 21	at Maryland
Oct. 28	at Virginia
Nov. 4	Georgia Tech
Nov. 11	at Clemson
Nov. 18	at North Carolina
Nov. 25	East Carolina

Virginia
Sept. 2	at Pittsburgh
Sept. 9	Wyoming
Sept. 16	Western Michigan
Sept. 21 (Thurs.)	at Georgia Tech
Sept. 30	at Duke
Oct. 7	at East Carolina
Oct. 14	Maryland
Oct. 19 (Thurs.)	North Carolina
Oct. 28	NC State
Nov. 4	at Florida State
Nov. 11	Open
Nov. 18	Miami
Nov. 25	at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech
Sept. 2	Northeastern
Sept. 9	at North Carolina
Sept. 16	Duke
Sept. 23	Cincinnati
Sept. 30	Georgia Tech
Oct. 7	Open
Oct. 12 (Thurs.)	at Boston College
Oct. 21	Southern Mississippi
Oct. 26 (Thurs.)	Clemson
Nov. 4	at Miami
Nov. 11	Kent State
Nov. 16	at Wake Forest
Nov. 25	Virginia

Wake Forest
Sept. 2	Syracuse
Sept. 9	Duke
Sept. 16	at Connecticut
Sept. 23	at Mississippi
Sept. 30	Liberty
Oct. 7	Clemson
Oct. 14	at NC State
Oct. 21	Open
Oct. 28	at North Carolina
Nov. 4	Boston College
Nov. 11	at Florida State
Nov. 18	Virginia Tech
Nov. 25	at Maryland