ACC sends nine teams to post-season bowls |
Greensboro, N.C.—Led by the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Champion Virginia Tech Hokies, who will represent the league at this year’s Discover Orange Bowl, the ACC placed nine of its teams in post season bowl games, it was announced Sunday.
Since 2005, the ACC has seen 50 of its teams go to post season bowl games. In that time only the Southeastern Conference (51) has had more. In addition to the Hokies, Florida State (Chick-fil-A), NC State (Champs Sports), Miami (Hyundai Sun), Clemson (Meineke Car Care), North Carolina (Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl), Georgia Tech (Advocare V-100 Independence Bowl), Maryland (Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman) and Boston College (Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl). This year’s pairings also extended consecutive bowl streaks for ACC teams who have four of the nation’s seven longest bowl game streaks, led by Florida State which has the nation’s longest current bowl streak. The Seminoles are making their 29th consecutive bowl trip in a streak that began with the 1982 Gator Bowl game. The Seminoles are joined by Virginia Tech, which will enjoy its 18th consecutive bowl trip--the nation’s third longest skein; Georgia Tech, which is making it 14th straight bowl appearance, tied for the nation’s fifth longest streak and Boston College, which will be making its 12th consecutive bowl excursion, which is tied for the nation’s seventh longest streak. Thirteenth-ranked Virginia Tech (11-2; 8-0 ACC), which captured its fourth ACC Football title in its seven seasons in the league with a 44-33 win over 22nd-ranked Florida State Saturday in the Sixth Annual ACC Football Championship Game, will be making its fourth appearance in the Discover Orange Bowl and third in the last four years. The Hokies of coach Frank Beamer will be facing fourth-ranked Stanford (11-1) of the Pac-10 Conference in the game on Monday, January 3 at 8 pm. The 2010 Discover Orange Bowl will be played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Fla, and will be nationally televised by ESPN. Tech, which played in the BCS National Championship Game in the Sugar Bowl after the 1999 season, will be making its fifth BCS appearance. This will be the first meeting for the Hokies and the Cardinal in football. The win over FSU in the ACC title game was Tech’s 11th straight and made them the first team in NCAA FBS history to win 11 straight games in a season after losing their first two contests. Though Florida State (9-4, 6-2, ACC), the ACC’s Atlantic Division champion which is ranked 23rd nationally this week, will be making its 29th straight bowl trip it will be its first bowl appearance under the guidance of head coach Jimbo Fisher. The Seminoles will play in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl in a nationally televised (ESPN, 7:30 pm) game on Friday, Dec. 31, facing the 20th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks (9-4) of the Southeastern Conference in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The game will be FSU’s third appearance in a bowl game in Atlanta, having played in the Peach Bowl on two previous occasions, losing to LSU in 1968 (31-27) and defeating North Carolina in 1983 (28-3). Overall, FSU brings 23-14-2 bowl record to the game, the nation’s sixth best winning percentage among teams with 15 of more bowl appearances. The contest will be the 19th meeting between the two schools in football, though the first in a bowl game and the first since 1991. FSU holds a 15-3 advantage in the series which began in 1966. NC State (8-4, 5-3 ACC) will be making its first appearance in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla., but has played three times in the bowl’s predecessors, the Tangerine Bowl (1978, 2001 and 2003). The Wolfpack will face 22nd ranked West Virginia (9-3) of the Big East Conference on Tuesday, Dec. 28 in the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. The game will have a 6:30 pm kickoff and will be nationally televised by ESPN. The contest will mark the third time the Wolfpack and Mountaineers have met in a bowl game as the two teams split decisions in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta with State taking a 1972 contest (49-13) and WVU claiming a 1975 meeting (13-10). The game will also mark the second bowl trip for the Wolfpack under coach Tom O’Brien in the last three seasons. The Miami Hurricanes (7-5, 5-3) will be making their first appearance in the Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas on Friday, Dec. 31, but will be facing a very familiar opponent in Notre Dame (7-5). The Sun Bowl, which has a 2 pm kickoff, will be nationally televised by CBS. Miami, which will be led by interim head coach Jeff Stoutland in the game, is making its third straight bowl appearance and 11th in 12 years, but first against the Fighting Irish in a post season affair. Miami and Notre Dame have met 24 times previously, but the Sun Bowl will mark their first football meeting in 20 years. The Irish have a 15-7-1 lead in the series which began in 1955. Miami’s bowl record of 19-16 (.543) ranks 15th among teams with a minimum of 15 bowl appearances. Clemson (6-6, 4-4 ACC) will be making its first appearance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The Tigers of coach Dabo Swinney are making their seventh straight bowl appearance, and the third in three years under Swinney. The Tigers will face South Florida (7-5) of the Big East Conference on Friday, Dec. 31 in a noon contest at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The game will be nationally televised (ESPN) and will be the first meeting on the gridiron for the Tigers and Bulls. The Meineke Bowl will mark Clemson’s 33rd trip to a bowl game as the Tigers have compiled a 16-16 record in bowl competition. North Carolina (7-5, 4-4 ACC) will be making its third straight bowl trip under head coach Butch Davis, but its first appearance in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, facing the Tennessee Volunteers (6-6) of the Southeastern Conference in LP Field in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30. The game will have a 6:30 pm kickoff and will be nationally televised by ESPN. North Carolina and Tennessee have met 31 times previously, but the Music City Bowl will be the first meeting between the two teams from neighboring states for the first time since 1961. The Tar Heels and Volunteers will be facing each other for the first time in a bowl game. Georgia Tech (6-6, 4-4 ACC) will be making its first appearance in the Advocare V100 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., facing Air Force (8-4) of the Mountain West Conference on Monday, Dec. 27 in a 5 pm nationally televised game on ESPN2. The Yellow Jackets, who will be facing Air Force for the first time since 1979, and are 3-0 against the Falcons in a three-year series (1977-79) but have not met for 31 years. Tech is making its third straight bowl appearance under head coach Paul Johnson. The Jackets have compiled a 22-16 (.579) bowl record, the 12th best among teams with 15 or more bowl appearances and are also 9th nationally in bowl wins (22) and 12th in bowl appearances (38). Maryland (8-4, 5-3 ACC) will be making its first appearance to the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman. The Terrapins will be making their seventh bowl trip in 10 seasons under 2010 ACC Coach of the Year Ralph Friedgen. Maryland will meet East Carolina (6-6) of Conference USA on Wednesday, Dec. 29 in a 2:30 pm nationally televised game on ESPN at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The game will mark Maryland’s 24th post season appearance (10-11-2) and its first-ever meeting with the Pirates in football. The Military Bowl, previously know as the EagleBank Bowl, is in its third year of existence with proceeds going to benefit the USO. Boston College (7-5, 4-4 ACC) is making its second straight appearance in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. The Eagles of Coach Frank Spaziani played in San Francisco last year, dropping a 24-13 decision to Southern California in the then Emerald Bowl. This time around the Eagles will face another formidable foe in 15th-ranked Nevada of the Western Athletic Conference. BC and the Wolf Pack will square off on Sunday, January 9 in a 9 p.m. (ET) contest at AT&T Park in a game nationally televised by ESPN. Boston College has the nation’s fifth best bowl winning percentage (13-8, .619) among teams with 15 or more bowl appearances. Earlier this year the Eagles became the first team in ACC history to win five straight games after suffering a five-game losing streak in the same season. BC’s bowl appearance will be its third straight under Spaziani. ACC Bowl Games In Chronological Order Date, Time Bowl Game ACC Team and Opponent Net. Dec. 27, 5 pm - Avocare V100 Independence Bowl - Georgia Tech (6-6) vs. Air Force (8-4) ESPN2 Dec. 28, 6:30 pm - Champs Sports Bowl - NC State (8-4) vs. West Virginia (9-3) ESPN Dec. 29, 2:30 pm - Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Gumman - Maryland (8-4) vs. East Carolina (6-6) ESPN Dec. 30, 6:30 pm - Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl - North Carolina (7-5) vs.Tennessee (6-6) ESPN Dec. 31, Noon - Meineke Car Care Bowl - Clemson (6-6) vs. South Florida (7-5) ESPN Dec. 31, 2 pm - Hyundai Sun Bowl - Miami (7-5) vs. Notre Dame (7-5) CBS Dec. 31, 7:30 pm - Chick-fil-A Bowl - Florida State (9-3) vs. South Carolina (9-4) ESPN Jan. 3, 8 p.m. - Discover Orange Bowl - Virginia Tech (11-2) vs. Stanford (11-1) ESPN Jan. 9, 9 p.m. - Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - Boston College (7-5) vs. Nevada (12-1) ESPN
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