The relationship between the United States and Canada is about as fraught as it’s ever been, thanks to President Donald Trump’s worthless antics.
There’s only one thing that can help mend that broken trust: Mid-tier ACC football.
Thursday, the ACC announced that the Syracuse Orange will take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Toronto to open the 2027 college football season. Details are TBD, but the game is expected to be played on August 28 or 29 and will air either on ABC or ESPN.
The game is a collaboration between the conference and ESPN Events. The Week 0 matchup between the two bitter ACC rivals will be the first NCAA college football game played at BMO Field, home of Toronto FC and the Toronto Argonauts.
As a weird quirk, the contest will count as a home game for Wake Forest, not Syracuse, which is demonstrably closer to Toronto.
Believe it or not, this could be a compelling matchup by the time it gets here. Wake Forest is coming off a 9-4 season, while Syracuse is a year removed from a 10-win season of its own and is recovering from a 2025 stint that was riddled with injuries.
It’s also a savvy scheduling decision for both schools, as the ACC employs a revenue-sharing model that is based partly on TV ratings. A mid-season Cuse-Wake game on ACC Network isn’t going to do much for either school, but a Week 0 matchup on either ABC or ESPN is going to grab eyeballs desperate for any kind of college football action.
Plus, you know, they’re basically saving the USA-Canada relationship.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.