ACC faces higher stakes in marquee nonconference games this year

The ACC has the strongest nonconference slate to open the season, the byproduct of aggressive scheduling that has become a league mantra.

Still, there is a different feel to all these marquee nonconference games. In the past, the ACC needed to win these matchups to help improve its reputation among the power conferences. This year, the ACC needs to win these matchups to further its momentum (not to mention backing up plentiful boasts that it is the best conference in America).

So you see why there is more at stake in these games this year, why there should be greater importance and greater scrutiny. The last thing the ACC needs is to take a step backward, especially since all this hard-won…