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No. 1 Miami's trip to North Carolina headlines ACC slate and Virginia visits No. 14 Wake Forest

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No. 1 Miami's trip to North Carolina headlines ACC slate and Virginia visits No. 14 Wake Forest
Sport

Sport

No. 1 Miami's trip to North Carolina headlines ACC slate and Virginia visits No. 14 Wake Forest

2026-10-29 18:10 Last Updated At:18:20

Things to watch this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference:

No. 1 Miami (7-0, 5-0 ACC) at North Carolina (4-3, 2-2), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

The Hurricanes continue to roll through the schedule, with a double-overtime win against Florida State and needing to come up with multiple fourth-quarter stops at now-No. 14 Wake Forest standing as the only non-blowout wins. Miami leads the Bowl Subdivision ranks in total offense (551.9) and scoring (49.0) behind a prolific Darian Mensah-to-Malachi Toney passing attack.

The Tar Heels had been on the rise in their second year under NFL coaching icon Bill Belichick before last week's overtime home loss to a Syracuse team that was 0-4 in the league. Their defense has been the most reliable part of their game, while their offense has yet to score more than 27 points in regulation against any FBS opponent in Belichick's tenure.

UNC is 0-11 all-time against the No. 1-ranked team.

Virginia (4-4, 2-3) at No. 14 Wake Forest (6-1, 4-1), Saturday, 3:45 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

The Demon Deacons are coming off an open week as they look to stay well-positioned in the chase for a spot in the ACC title game, playing the first of two home games before they visit No. 19 SMU on Nov. 14. The Cavaliers have lost to SMU and Duke in the past two weeks after a 4-2 start.

Clemson (3-2, 2-2) at Florida State (3-4, 1-3), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network)

Despite a bumpy year, the Tigers were near the top of the league standings — then lost at home to Virginia Tech. Now they're visiting the Seminoles in a matchup of marquee ACC brands that haven't been playing to that stature. FSU had an open week after its 43-35 loss to Miami on Oct. 17.

— N.C. State QB CJ Bailey. The Wolfpack will host California on Saturday for the first game since the midseason firing of longtime coach Dave Doeren. The third-year starting quarterback said this week he's focused on doing the “next positive thing” he can for the team, and the spotlight will be on him and several of the Wolfpack's top players to see how they respond under interim coach Todd Goebbel.

— Syracuse RB Ahmad Miller. Miller ran for 123 yards with a touchdown in a loss to Louisville then 125 yards and another score in the overtime win at UNC. He's carried the ball 48 times in the past two games and got a boost with quarterback Steve Angeli playing well in his return to the starting lineup against UNC. Now the Orange will host SMU on Saturday.

Duke's Nate Sheppard is no longer leading the country in rushing, but he's still putting up huge performances all the same entering Saturday's visit from Boston College. The running back flirted with 100-yard receiving games in losses to Georgia Tech and UNC, then threw the winning TD pass against Virginia last week. ... All four of Stanford's wins have come at home, including last week against N.C. State in an outcome that led to Doeren's ouster. But they've managed a total of 17 points in three road losses as they enter Saturday's trip to Louisville. ... Pittsburgh hasn't won since losing starting quarterback Mason Heintschel to a season-ending knee injury. The Panthers were 5-0 and ranked in the AP Top 25, but have lost three straight entering Saturday's visit from Georgia Tech. ... Virginia Tech is idle this week.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.

Miami quarterback Darian Mensah (10) hands off the ball to running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami quarterback Darian Mensah (10) hands off the ball to running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

LONDON (AP) — England striker Ivan Toney appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty after being accused of headbutting and punching a man at a nightclub in London last year.

The 30-year-old Toney, who represented England at the World Cup last summer and plays for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, will face a trial in 2028 — during the European Championship soccer tournament being co-hosted by England that year — over the alleged assault.

During the five-minute hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London, Toney formally entered a not guilty plea to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a confrontation at a night spot on Wardour St. on Dec. 6 last year, Britain's Press Association news agency reported.

A provisional trial date was set for the same court on June 12, 2028 by Judge Christopher Hehir, who apologized to Toney about the delay.

“That’s a long way in advance and I’m sorry about that," the judge said. "As you may know, the crown courts are operating under a great deal of pressure. We have got a massive backlog of work for various reasons.”

Euro 2028 is scheduled for June 9-July 9 and is being staged in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Toney was released on unconditional bail, PA news reported.

He started his career with Northampton and played for Newcastle and Peterborough before signing for Brentford in 2020. He joined Al-Ahli in 2024.

Toney has played 10 times for England, scoring once. He wasn't selected in the most recent England squad for Nations League matches in September and October.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

England footballer Ivan Toney departs Southwark Crown Court, London, Thursday Oct. 29, 2026, where he is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm over an incident at a nightclub in Wardour Street in Soho, central London, on December 6 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Press Association via AP)

England footballer Ivan Toney departs Southwark Crown Court, London, Thursday Oct. 29, 2026, where he is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm over an incident at a nightclub in Wardour Street in Soho, central London, on December 6 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Press Association via AP)

England footballer Ivan Toney arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London, Thursday Oct. 29, 2026, where he is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm over an incident at a nightclub in Wardour Street in Soho, central London, on December 6 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Press Association via AP)

England footballer Ivan Toney arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London, Thursday Oct. 29, 2026, where he is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm over an incident at a nightclub in Wardour Street in Soho, central London, on December 6 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Press Association via AP)

England footballer Ivan Toney departs Southwark Crown Court, London, Thursday Oct. 29, 2026, where he is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm over an incident at a nightclub in Wardour Street in Soho, central London, on December 6 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Press Association via AP)

England footballer Ivan Toney departs Southwark Crown Court, London, Thursday Oct. 29, 2026, where he is charged with assault causing actual bodily harm over an incident at a nightclub in Wardour Street in Soho, central London, on December 6 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/Press Association via AP)

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