CLEMSON — Clemson’s kickoff at North Carolina on Oct. 4 will come bright and early.
The ACC announced the matchup between Dabo Swinney and Bill Belichick’s struggling football teams will be at noon and will air on ESPN.
Both teams are on a bye this week. Clemson (1-3, 0-2 ACC) has lost three of its first four games for the first time since 2004. UNC (2-2) has only played non-conference games thus far, beating Charlotte and Richmond but getting blown out by TCU and UCF.
Swinney and Belichick were acquainted this offseason as they sat down for an ACC Network special. The Tigers’ coach jokingly welcomed Belichick to the ACC and the “Rest of Y’all” or “ROY” bus.
“We’ve been on the ROY Bus for 16 years. We’re still on it,” Swinney told Belichick. “The ACC, we’re the ROY Bus. So welcome to the ACC.
“SEC, Big Ten and the Rest of Y’all. Here we are.”
Swinney also previously declared the visit to Chapel Hill as the beginning of the Tigers’ “Patriots Tour,” because they travel to Boston College to face a program led by former Pats offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
Clemson has a former Patriots punter, Ryan Allen, on staff.
“He’s my secret sauce in finding a way to beat the Patriots in October,” Swinney said.
The Tigers need to figure out a way to beat, really, anybody.
They just dropped a home game to Syracuse, 34-21, after losing to Georgia Tech on the road, 24-21, to open conference play. Swinney is reframing the remaining eight games as a season of its own, hoping Clemson can salvage something from a disappointing start.