As the Big Ten, SEC, and Big 12 reshaped the college football landscape with expansion moves, the ACC spent more of its time staving off possible predators. 

So far, the move has worked. Clemson and Florida State, among others, remain part of the ACC despite tensions between the flagship universities and their athletic conference. 

But the league grew at the same time. Starting this fall, California and Stanford of the Pac-12 and SMU from the AAC join to create a 17-team league. The Atlantic Coast Conference has gone pacific. 

The expansion adds a new flavor not just to the football on the field, but to the pregame fun in the ACC. College football tailgating and entertainment is a unique experience, one embedded in traditions old and new. In some spots, the fun outside the stadium is just as big as the fun inside it.

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For the third year in a row, Bookies.com has compiled a comprehensive list of the top ACC pregame destinations. The list is borne from an algorithm based on multiple factors. Among them: 

• Location: Close to the action, accessible to fans
• Tailgating: The ability to park and enjoy a crisp fall day with a beverage and grill
• Entertainment Around Stadium: A vibrant bar and restaurant scene within walking distance of your seat
• Family Sentiment: Is the area safe and entertaining for kids and those with kids?

Here are all ACC football pregame destinations, ranked. 

17. Wake Forest

With just over 5,000 undergrads on campus, Wake Forest is one of the nation’s smallest “big-time” college sports programs. But the lack of alumni and lack of historical excitement around the program doesn’t help. The Demon Deacons won just one ACC game in 2023. Winston-Salem graded OK for overall entertainment, but tailgating and the location – not adjacent to the scenic Wake Forest campus – dinged scores. 

16. Stanford 

A new addition to the ACC, but not one that boosts the overall pregame excitement of college football. The Cardinal ranked last for tailgating – most students at this high-level university aren’t there to consume morning adult beverages – and entertainment options nearby didn’t get the grade. Also not helping: Stanford’s on-campus crime rate is far and away the highest of any major-conference school in the nation. 

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15. Duke

Duke is a picturesque campus to walk around. No college in the ACC received a higher score from families. In terms of other things to do, such as bar-hopping or tailgating, the Blue Devils ranked in the bottom two of them all, and also ranked last in attendance at 25K per game. But its family friendliness does make it a unique spot to catch a pregame, and the lack of pregame debauchery didn’t hurt the team: Duke finished a solid 6-1 at home in 2023. 

14. Georgia Tech

Tech is located in the heart of Atlanta – if you can’t find something to do around Bobby Dodd Stadium, you’re not trying hard enough. But there is a caveat: it’s a nightmare to get to on gamedays, and families gave it the second-lowest rating among ACC schools. The Atlanta skyline offers quite a vista for a major college program. 

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13. Virginia 

Scott Stadium is conveniently located and keeps stress levels low compared to other ACC football experiences. provides the chance for a scenic low-key drive on gamedays and an overall pleasant experience. Tailgating for Cavs games didn’t stand out but there are options, and the more you donate to the university, the more options there are. The bar scene is a solid mile hike. 

12. Miami (Fla.)

You can’t argue about the weather in Coral Gables, and Hard Rock Stadium, also the home of the NFL’s Dolphins has all the parking needed to make it a top-half destination to grill and tailgate. On the flip side, if you don’t like sitting by your car, you might as well go right into the stadium. There isn’t much to do that’s close, including the campus, which is 20 miles south. Families ranked it at the very bottom of the conference. 

11. Boston College

Getting to Alumni Stadium appears to be the most frustrating part about Eagles Saturday games. Once there, however, B.C. ranked middle-of-the-pack in other areas. It’s not a raucous time, but that helps the family score, which came in sixth of 17 schools. Boston is all-in on its pro teams, and B.C. is one of just two ACC teams to finish with a home-losing record in 2023.

10. California 

Berkley scored high for things to do around the Bears’ Memorial Stadium, and the scenic locale was a cherry on top for the scenic Bay Area college. Limited parking means tailgating takes a back seat to the other options, but the bar and restaurant scene is a quick 10-minute jaunt. The family score came in the middle. Lots of activities for kids were negated somewhat by the second-highest crime rate among big-program colleges, with only nearby Stanford higher. 

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9. Syracuse

The Orange take pride in their domed stadium; it gets loud in there, in part perhaps because it gets nutty in the pregame. Syracuse was just one of five ACC schools to rank in the top half in both entertainment and tailgating, as well as family sentiment, though it didn’t overwhelmingly have a single great trait. In other words, there’s nothing bad to say about pregames at Syracuse, just nothing that pushes it into elite status yet. 

8. Pittsburgh

Pitt’s Panthers play on the same field as Pitt’s Steelers in the NFL, which helps their cause when it comes to nearby entertainment and things to do. It was dinged for being less family-friendly than some other locales, but that’s to be expected for a metro campus. The setting adjacent to downtown and the Ohio River adds to the ambiance. 

7. SMU 

The Mustangs are just getting started as a major college program team. They won the AAC championship last year and are in football-rich Texas, but their average attendance of 22,616 would rank only above Northwestern among P6 teams. For pregame, though, the fans that are there get it. SMU’s tailgating scene is among the best, and its Dallas campus offers vibrant dining and bar-hopping options nearby. 

6. North Carolina

There’s something for everyone at Tar Heels games. Only Clemson and Virginia Tech scored as well as UNC when it comes to combining entertainment and family options around their stadium. Tailgating is encouraged but there’s no central lot where one feels the aura of a college football Saturday. The scenery in and around Chapel Hill is not to be missed. 

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5. Virginia Tech

Everyone by now knows about “Enter Sandman” as the Hokies take the field. But the crowd is juiced up by then thanks to one of the premier tailgating situations in the nation, and in the ACC. Several large lots fill up on Saturdays, but the various things to do around Blacksburg, for adults and kids alike, set it apart from other spots. The bar scene is a 20-minute walk away. Blacksburg is a bit off the beaten path for even most VaTech fans – Lane Stadium can hold the entire population of the city plus an extra 20K. 

4. Louisville 

UofL’s stadium is near downtown and certainly in the metro area, but it doesn’t have the same congestion as other big-city fields. In fact, its accessibility to several major highways, and the cool views and vibes around it, made L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium the top-ranked location in all of the ACC. There is no central bar or restaurant scene nearby, but options in all directions, including spots more for Churchill Downs, which is a five-minute walk away. 

3. NC State

North Carolina State doesn’t get the same love as UNC in a lot of ways, but it doesn’t take a backseat when it comes to amping it up on college gamedays. NC State ranked in the Top 4 in tailgating and family sentiment – only one other school could boast that – and in at No. 2 among the best locations in the conference. Ample parking and Raleigh’s reputation as a BBQ capital make Wolfpack games worth the trip. 

2. Florida State

FSU is known as being a top-tier party school, not just in the ACC but the entire country. Seminoles fans in Tallahassee take that reputation seriously and display it on Saturdays. FSU ranked No. 2 for tailgating and No. 3 for overall entertainment, the only ACC program to rank so high in both. Doak Stadium gets high marks for its location and scenery. The weather doesn’t hurt, and neither does the team. FSU was the only ACC squad to finish unbeaten at home in 2023. 

1. Clemson

When it comes to a good time in the ACC, it’s Clemson FSU and everyone else. Clemson’s massive parking situation got the school the No. 1 ranking for tailgating, but the Tigers ranked Top 5 across the board, including No. 2 among families. That’s tough to do. Thanks to its ascension as a national title contender under Dabo Swinney, Memorial Stadium is a bucket-list place for any type of college football fan.