Nation-leading 13 ACC teams make postseason bowl games |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) - Highlighted by two Atlantic Coast Conference teams in SMU and Clemson both earning a spot in the College Football Playoff, the ACC has a nation-leading and league-record, 13 teams that will be playing in a postseason bowl game this year, tied for the most among all FBS conferences.
"We congratulate our 13 bowl-eligible teams – lead by ACC Champion, Clemson, and SMU, who will both represent the ACC in the College Football Playoff," stated ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph. D. "We are looking forward to watching our teams compete in the CFP and Bowl Season and appreciate our incredible bowl partners for providing these incredible opportunities for our student-athletes, coaches, schools, alumni and fans.” No. 10 ranked SMU (11-2, 8-0 ACC) earned its first trip to the College Football Playoff (CFP) as the No. 11 seeded team, one of just two teams in all of FBS to go undefeated in regular-season conference play. In their first season in the ACC, Coach of the Year Rhett Lashlee led the Mustangs to 11 wins, one of just 10 teams in all of FBS to record 11 wins or more. The 11-win season is the fourth in program history and marks the second-consecutive season in which the Mustangs have recorded 11 wins on the season. The Mustangs earned the No. 11 seed in the CFP and will travel to State College, Pennsylvania, to meet No. 6 seed Penn State on Saturday, December 21. SMU’s College Football Playoff debut will kick off at noon ET and be televised on TNT. No. 16 Clemson will be making its seventh trip to the CFP, becoming only the second team to earn seven CFP berths since the start of the playoff postseason format in 2014. The Tigers won the National Championship in 2016 and 2018 – the second most of any school. Clemson will be the No. 12 seed and play at No. 5 Texas in the first round on Saturday, December 21, at 4 p.m. ET on TNT. Clemson (10-3, 7-1 ACC) won the program’s ninth ACC Football Championship Game and 22nd ACC Title with a 34-31 win over No. 8 SMU on Saturday, December 7, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to SMU and Clemson earning a spot in the CFP, two other teams were ranked in the final CFP Top 25 rankings in No. 13 Miami and No. 21 Syracuse. The 2024 ACC postseason schedule is as follows, listed in chronological order: Wednesday, Dec. 18 – Art of Sport LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk; Inglewood, Calif. California (6-6, 2-6 ACC) vs. No. 24 UNLV (10-3, 6-1 Mountain West) – 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) Saturday, Dec. 21 – College Football Playoff First Round; State College, Penn. No. 11 seed SMU (11-2, 8-0 ACC) at No. 6 seed Penn State (11-2, 8-1 Big Ten) – Noon ET (TNT) Saturday, Dec. 21 – College Football Playoff First Round; Austin, Texas No. 12 seed Clemson (10-3, 7-1 Big Ten) at No. 5 seed Texas (11-2, 7-1 SEC) – 4 p.m. ET (TNT) Thursday, Dec. 26 – GameAbove Sports Bowl; Detroit, Mich. Pitt (7-5, 3-5 ACC) vs. Toledo (7-5, 4-4 MAC) - 2 p.m. ET (ESPN) Friday, Dec. 27 – Birmingham Bowl; Birmingham, Ala. Georgia Tech (7-5, 5-3 ACC) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5 SEC) – 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Friday, Dec. 27 – DirecTV Holiday Bowl; San Diego, Calif. No. 21 Syracuse (9-3, 5-3 ACC) vs. Washington State (8-4, 0-1 Pac-12) – 8 p.m. ET (FOX) Saturday, Dec. 28 – Wasabi Fenway Bowl; Boston, Mass. North Carolina (6-6, 3-5 ACC) vs. UConn (8-4) – 11 a.m. ET (ESPN) Saturday, Dec. 28 – Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl; Bronx, N.Y. Boston College (7-5, 4-4 ACC) vs. Nebraska (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) – Noon ET (ABC) Saturday, Dec. 28 – Pop-Tarts Bowl; Orlando, Fla. No. 13 Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) vs. No. 18 Iowa State (10-3, 7-3 Big 12) – 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Saturday, Dec. 28 – Go Bowling Military Bowl; Annapolis, Md. NC State (6-6, 3-5 ACC) vs. East Carolina (7-5, 5-3 American) – 5:45 p.m. ET (ESPN) Tuesday, Dec. 31 – Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl; El Paso, Texas Louisville (8-4, 5-3 ACC) vs. Washington (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) – 2 p.m. ET (CBS) Thursday, Jan. 2 - TaxSlayer Gator Bowl; Jacksonville, Fla. Duke (9-3, 5-3 ACC) vs. No. 14 Ole Miss (9-3, 5-3 SEC) – 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Friday, Jan. 3 – Duke’s Mayo Bowl; Charlotte, N.C. Virginia Tech (6-6, 4-4 ACC) vs. Minnesota (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) – 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) ACC Bowl Team Notes No. 11 seed SMU (11-2, 8-0 ACC) will be making its first appearance in the CFP. The Mustangs went 11-2 overall and a perfect 8-0 in conference play, one of just two FBS teams to go undefeated in regular-season conference play this season. The 11-win season is the fourth in SMU’s program history and marks the first time with back-to-back 11-win seasons. The Mustangs will travel to No. 6 seed Penn State (11-2, 8-1 Big Ten) on Saturday, December 21, at noon ET on TNT. SMU will be making its 20th bowl appearance in program history and for the sixth consecutive season. Penn State leads the overall series versus SMU at 1-0-1, with the teams last having played in State College in 1978. The two teams first met in the 1948 Cotton Bowl, playing to a 13-13 tie. The winner of SMU and Penn State will play No. 3 seed Boise State in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday, December 31, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. No. 12 seed Clemson (10-3, 7-1 ACC) will be making its seventh CFP appearance, the second-most among all programs, and a postseason or bowl appearance for the 20th consecutive year, adding to their 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 to Austin, Texas, to take on the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns (11-2, 7-1 SEC) on Saturday, December 21, at 4 p.m. ET on TNT. The matchup against the Longhorns will be the Tigers’ 51st bowl game in program history, as the Tigers have a 27-23 overall bowl record. The game will be the first matchup between the two teams on the gridiron. The winner will take on No. 4 seed Arizona State (11-2, 7-2 Big 12) in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. No. 13 Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) heads to Orlando, Florida, to compete against No. 18 Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday, December 28, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The Hurricanes last competed in an Orlando-based bowl game in 2020 when they played in the Cheez-It Bowl. Miami has been ranked as high as No. 4 this season and boasts a 20-25 all-time record in bowl games. It will be the first-ever meeting between Miami and Iowa State. No. 21 Syracuse (9-3, 5-3 ACC) moved up one spot in the final CFP rankings, marking the second consecutive week that the Orange were in the top 25. The Orange will play Washington State (8-4, 0-1 Pac-12) in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl on Friday, December 27, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Making a bowl game for the third-consecutive season, the Orange are 16-11-1 overall in their previous 28 bowl appearances, including winning six of their last nine bowl games. Syracuse is 1-0 all-time versus Washington State, defeating the Cougars 52-25 in 1979. That game was played at what was then Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, as the Dome was being constructed. Boston College (7-5, 4-4 ACC) will play in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl for the third time, having played in the Pinstripe postseason bowl in both 2014 and 2017. The Eagles are bowl eligible for the eighth time in the last nine years and the first under first-year head coach Bill O’Brien. BC is 15-13 overall in bowl game history, with games having been cancelled in 2018 and 2021 and BC opting out of the 2020 bowl season. The Eagles will face off with Nebraska (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten) for the first-ever meeting between the two programs. California (6-6, 2-6 ACC) is set to play in the Art of Sport LA Bowl hosted by Gronk on Friday, December 19, at 9 p.m. ET. The Golden Bears, who are bowl-eligible for the second straight season, will play in the program’s 26th bowl game, having posted a bowl record of 12-12-1 overall. Cal will play No. 24 UNLV (10-3, 6-1 MW) for the second time after knocking off the Rebels 20-14 in Berkeley, California, during the 2022 season. Duke (9-3, 6-3 ACC) is bowl-eligible in the first year under head coach Manny Diaz and will make its 17th bowl appearance this season, including for the third consecutive year. The Blue Devils are 8-8 all-time in postseason bowl play and have won each of their last six bowl games. The Blue Devils will take on No. 14 Ole Miss (9-3, 5-3 SEC) for the first time in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Georgia Tech (7-5, 5-3 ACC) is set to compete in the Birmingham Bowl on Friday, December 27. It marks the second-consecutive bowl game for the Yellow Jackets who will meet Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5 SEC). Georgia Tech is bowl bound for the 47th time in program history, boasting a 26-20 record in previous bowl appearances. The Yellow Jackets and Commodores have squared off 38 times previously, most recently in 2016, with Georgia Tech holding a 20-15-3 advantage in the all-time series. Louisville (8-4, 5-3 ACC) is set to square off with Washington (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, December 31. The Cardinals will be heading to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season and will be making their first-ever trip to the Sun Bowl. Louisville is 12-13-1 in 26 previous bowl appearances and will be playing Washington for the first time in the bowl game. North Carolina (6-6, 3-5 ACC) will be playing in a bowl game for the sixth consecutive season when it heads to the Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The Tar Heels will be playing in a bowl game for the 38th time in program history. North Carolina will square off with FBS Independent UConn (8-4) for the second time in Boston with the Tar Heels winning the previous meeting in 1990. NC State (6-6, 3-5 ACC) will play in the Go Bowling Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland, on Saturday, December 28, against East Carolina (7-5, 5-3 AAC). It will be the Wolfpack’s first-ever trip to the Military Bowl and 36th trip to a bowl game in program history, boasting a 17-17-1 record in previous bowl games. NC State is 19-13 all-time against in-state for East Carolina, including having won each of the last three meetings between the two teams. After beginning the season with seven consecutive victories, Pitt will play in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, on Thursday, December 26. The Panthers will be making their 38th all-time bowl appearance and first since a victory in the 2022 Sun Bowl. Pitt is 15-22 all-time in bowl games and will square off with Toledo in the Motor City. The Panthers own a 2-1 record all-time against the Rockets with the last meeting coming in 2006. Virginia Tech (6-6, 4-4 ACC) will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to compete in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on January 3, 2025, against Minnesota (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten). The Hokies will be making their second consecutive bowl game appearance and first-ever trip to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Throughout its history, Virginia Tech has posted a 14-21 record in bowl games with its most recent victory coming in the 2023 Military Bowl. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Hokies and Golden Gophers.
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