Bowl matchups set for 11 ACC teams

by Press Release - Sun Dec 03 18:40:44 GMT-04:00 2023

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Led by undefeated 2023 ACC Champion and No. 5 nationally-ranked Florida State’s 11th appearance in the Capital One Orange Bowl, the Atlantic Coast Conference placed a Power 5-leading 11 teams in football postseason games on Sunday.

The 11 ACC bowl-eligible teams match a conference-high from 2018.

This is the 23rd consecutive season in which the ACC earned at least six bowl bids. Not including the pandemic-affected 2020 season, the ACC has sent at least nine teams to a bowl every year since 2016. Since 2013, the ACC is second among all conferences with 111 postseason appearances counting the 11 from this year

"Congratulations to each of the ACC’s league-record and Power 5 conference leading 11 bowl-eligible teams – including this year’s undefeated ACC Champions, the Florida State Seminoles," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. "We look forward to watching each team compete during Bowl Season and we could not be prouder of the tremendous season that our ACC football programs have had thus far.

One of only three undefeated Power 5 teams remaining in the country, Florida State will take on No. 6 Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 30, at 4 p.m. in Miami Gardens, Fla.

In addition to the Seminoles’ CFP New Year’s Six selection, No. 15 Louisville, No. 18 NC State, No. 22 Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, Miami, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Syracuse will all compete in the postseason.

No. 16 Notre Dame, which is part of the ACC bowl selection process if not selected for the CFP, received a berth in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

The schedule is as follows, in chronological order:

Thursday, Dec. 21 – RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl; Boca Raton, Fla.

Syracuse (6-6) vs. South Florida (6-6) – 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, Dec. 22 – Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl; Tampa, Fla.

Georgia Tech (6-6) vs. UCF (6-6) – 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, Dec. 23 – 76® Birmingham Bowl; Birmingham, Ala.

Duke (7-5) vs. Troy (11-2) – 12 p.m. (ABC)

Wednesday, Dec. 27 – Military Bowl presented by GoBowling.com; Annapolis, Md.

Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Tulane (11-2) – 2 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, Dec. 27 – Duke’s Mayo Bowl; Charlotte, N.C.

North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4) – 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, Dec. 27 - DirecTV Holiday Bowl; San Diego, Calif.

No. 15 Louisville (10-3) vs. USC (7-5) – 8 p.m. (FOX)

Thursday, Dec. 28 – Wasabi Fenway Bowl; Boston, Mass.

Boston College (6-6) vs. No. 24 SMU (11-2) – 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, Dec. 28 – Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl; Bronx, N.Y.

Miami (7-5) vs. Rutgers (6-6) – 2:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, Dec. 28 – Pop-Tarts Bowl; Orlando, Fla.

No. 18 NC State (9-3) vs. No. 25 Kansas State (8-4) – 5:45 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, Dec. 29 – TaxSlayer Gator Bowl; Jacksonville, Fla.

No. 22 Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5) – 12 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, Dec. 29 – Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl; El Paso, Texas

No. 16 Notre Dame (9-3) vs. No. 19 Oregon State (8-4) – 2 p.m. (CBS)

Saturday, Dec. 30 – Capital One Orange Bowl; Miami Gardens, Fla.

No. 5 Florida State (13-0) vs. No. 6 Georgia (12-1) – 4 p.m. (ESPN)

ACC Bowl Team Notes

After claiming its 16th ACC Championship, No. 5 Florida State (13-0, 8-0 ACC) will compete against No. 6 Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl for the 11th time in program history. Florida State has won its last two trips to the Orange Bowl and boasts five Orange Bowl victories all-time, including the 1993 National Championship. The New Year’s Six meeting between the Seminoles and Bulldogs will be the 12th all-time matchup and the first between the two schools since the 2003 Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs lead the overall series 6-4-1 over the Seminoles.

Under first-year head coach Jeff Brohm, No. 15 Louisville (10-3, 7-1 ACC) will compete in a bowl game for the third straight season. The trip to the DirecTV Holiday Bowl in San Diego, California, will be the first for the Cardinals who are 12-12-1 all-time over 25 bowl appearances. Last season, the Cardinals posted a 24-7 win over Cincinnati in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl. Louisville will meet Southern California in a bowl game for the first time.

No. 18 NC State (9-3, 6-2 ACC) will be making its 35th bowl appearance in program history and its second straight trip to the postseason with the Wolfpack’s trip to the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Entering the final College Football Playoff rankings, the Wolfpack were ranked 18th and will meet No. 25 Kansas State for the first time in Orlando, Florida. NC State is 17-16-1 overall in bowl play.

No. 22 Clemson (8-4, 4-4 ACC) will be making a bowl appearance for the 19th consecutive year, adding to its current school record that began in 2005. It is the current longest active streak among ACC teams and the fifth-longest in the nation. The Tigers will head south to the Sunshine State to compete in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl for the 10th time. The matchup against Kentucky will be the Tigers’ 46th bowl game in program history, as the Tigers have a 26-23 overall bowl record. Kentucky leads 8-5 in the all-time series with Clemson.

For the fifth straight season, North Carolina (8-4, 4-4 ACC) will head to the postseason with a berth versus West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina. It will mark the sixth time that the Tar Heels have played a bowl game in Charlotte, the last being against South Carolina in 2021. The Tar Heels are 1-1 versus the Mountaineers, with the last meeting coming in 2008.

Duke (7-5, 4-4 ACC) will make its 16th bowl appearance this season, making its first appearance in the 76® Birmingham Bowl versus Troy. The Blue Devils are 2-0 all-time versus the Trojans. The Blue Devils are 7-8 all-time in bowl play and have won each of their last five bowl games.

For the first time under head coach Mario Cristobal, Miami (7-5, 3-5 ACC) is postseason-bound. The Hurricanes head to Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl for the second time. When Miami meets Rutgers, it will be the 42nd bowl game in Hurricanes history and the 12th matchup against the Scarlett Knights, holding a dominant 11-0 advantage in the all-time series.

Georgia Tech (6-6, 5-3 ACC) will play in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl for the first time in program history, taking on the UCF. The Yellow Jackets return to postseason play for the first time since taking on Minnesota in the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl. The Jackets are 25-20 all-time in postseason bowl season, including winning three of their last five bowl contests. Georgia Tech 3-2 versus the Knights with the last meeting coming in Orlando in 2022.

Virginia Tech (6-6, 5-3 ACC) is bowl-eligible for the first time under head coach Brent Pry and the 35th time in program history. The Hokies will play Tulane in the Military Bowl presented by GoBowling.com, marking the third time that they have played in Annapolis, Maryland, with appearances in 2014 and 2018. Virginia Tech is 1-1 in the Military Bowl all-time and 13-21 in postseason bowl play overall. The Hokies are 5-4 versus the Green Wave all-time, with the last meeting between the two teams coming back in 1989.

Boston College (6-6, 3-5 ACC) will play in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl for the first time. The Eagles are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2021 when the Eagles were scheduled to play East Carolina in the 2021 Military Bowl. However, that game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. BC is 14-13 overall in bowl game history, with the Eagles last win a 36-30 victory over Maryland at the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl. The Eagles will face off with No. 24 SMU. BC trails future ACC member SMU 1-0 with the lone meeting coming in October of 1986.

Syracuse (6-6, 2-6 ACC) will be the first ACC team to play in the RoofClaim Boca Raton Bowl. Making a bowl game for the second-consecutive season for the first time since 2012 and 2013, the Orange are 16-10-1 overall in 28 bowl appearances, including winning six of their last eight bowl games. Syracuse will take on South Florida, who holds an 8-2 edge over the Orange all-time.