After down year, ACC finishes off a surprisingly successful bowl season
The matchup wasn’t sexy, with BCS buster Northern Illinois the opponent, but Florida State’s 31-10 win over the Huskies late Tuesday night counted nonetheless, and with it ended the ACC’s most successful bowl stretch in recent memory.
The league, which has taken its hits for its sub-par BCS record, lack of national championship contenders and, just recently, rising vulnerability in realignment, finished off the 2012-13 bowl season solidly, going 4-2 in its matchups.
That includes a 4-0 mark in the league’s top four bowl tie-ins. The last time that happened? Never.
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Florida State took care of business against Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl. Clemson rallied late to shock LSU on a last-second field goal in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Virginia Tech survived a brutal offensive overtime contest against Rutgers in the Russell Athletic Bowl. And Georgia Tech ended its postseason drought with a thorough handling of Southern California in the Sun Bowl.
The league’s two losses — Duke to Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl and N.C. State to Vanderbilt in the Music City — were on the lower end of the bowl spectrum.
(Want to count the newcomers, too? Syracuse beat West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl. Pittsburgh hasn’t yet played Ole Miss in the BBVA Compass Bowl. Louisville plays Florida in the Sugar Bowl tonight. Whatever Notre Dame does, I guess, only counts for 5/12 of the result.)
The ACC’s 4-2 record was its best in terms of winning percentage since the league expanded in 2004. It hasn’t gone 3-0 in its top three bowl tie-ins in the 15 years the Bowl Championship Series has been around.
It’s an especially satisfying ending for the league after a dismal 2-6 showing last year. That included losses in three of the top four bowls, with Clemson losing to West Virginia (Orange), Virginia Tech to Michigan (Sugar) and Virginia to Auburn (Chick-fil-A). Only Florida State’s win against Notre Dame in the since-renamed Champs Sports Bowl allowed the league to save face.
This year, the league held its own. As Newport News columnist David Teel noted, FSU’s win over No. 15 Northern Illinois and Clemson’s win over No. 8 LSU gave the ACC two bowl wins over top-15 opponents for only the second time ever. The first was in 2001, when Georgia Tech beat No. 11 Stanford and Florida State beat No. 15 Virginia Tech, then a member of the Big East.
Perhaps more importantly from a perception standpoint, Florida State gave the league only its third BCS win and its first since Virginia Tech beat Cincinnati in the 2009 Orange Bowl. The ACC’s record in BCS games is still an ugly 3-13, however.
It’s not enough to put the ACC on par with college football’s big boys (only national championships and a better TV contract could do that) and will understandably be pooh-poohed for the lack of a BCS win against a marquee program, but for a league that needed to prove itself more often on the big stage against non-conference competition, this bowl season was at least a step in the right direction.
Here’s the ACC’s bowl record since the BCS was formed in the 1998-99 season. Its record in the top three bowl tie-ins (or in the case of last year, top four, because of the at-large berth by the Hokies) is listed in parentheses:
- 2012-13: 4-2 (Top 3: 3-0)
- 2011-12: 2-6 (Top 4: 1-3)
- 2010-11: 4-5 (Top 3: 2-1)
- 2009-10: 3-4 (Top 3: 1-2)
- 2008-09: 4-6 (Top 3: 1-2)
- 2007-08: 2-6 (Top 3: 0-3)
- 2006-07: 4-4 (Top 3: 0-3)
- 2005-06: 5-3 (Top 3: 1-2)
- 2004-05: 3-3 (Top 3: 2-1)
- 2003-04: 5-1 (Top 3: 2-1)
- 2002-03: 4-3 (Top 3: (2-1)
- 2001-02: 4-2 (Top 3: 2-1)
- 2000-01: 1-4 (Top 3: 0-3)
- 1999-2000: 2-3 (Top 3: 1-2)
- 1998-99: 2-3 (Top 3: 1-2)
January 2, 2013 - 1:11 AM
As evident from the numerous times the No.1 ranking changed from week to week over this past season, and how often the pollsters got that ranking WRONG, (Remember, Southern Cal was ranked number 1 at the beginning), there is no sure way of accurately ranking college football teams. Nor, is there any way of accurately ranking a conference! (Chick-fil-a Bowl – #14 Clemson (ACC) 25, #8 LSU (SEC) 24).The sad truth is, any team that claims to be the “National Champion”, is only boasting of the “POSSIBILITY” that they are the best! And every year, teams that didn’t make it to that “National Championship Game” come up saying, “Well, we could have beat them!” The fact of the matter is, NCAA Division I, needs play-off series! The BCS just doesn’t work, and after 15 years, you’d think that the NCAA would have realized that! Maybe they should take a look at Division II! They have had a play-off series for years, and in the end, there is no question as to who is the winner! All of the Div. I bowl games could become play-off games (lesser bowls being first rounds, greater bowls being later rounds). And so that no “one” bowl would have explicate claim to the championship game, that honor could change from year to year. It’s not that hard, people! Surely, there is a better way!
Thanks for the article Andy. I was wondering if this was a better year then normal. You answered the question and more.
Congratulations to the ACC teams for the winning record in the bowl games.
This year is evidence that college football is unpredictable, and that it is often a mistake to write off teams and leagues, just as it is a mistake to be too optimistic about teams.
Again, this just goes to show that you never know.
I have had the chance to watch a few games over the last few days, and while I saw similar issues with some other bowl team offenses, I also saw a lot more creativity, whether it was really basic trick plays, like fake punts or multiple passers in a game, or even the use of a D tackle as a fullback on occasion. Some of this stuff isn’t that complicated, and in the case of our offense, we could have easily involved two quarterbacks (LT and Leal) at the same time in a game for misdirection purposes, and we definitely might have wanted to try a DT as a battering ram once in while- could this have resulted in a YPC average of over 1 foot a carry? Just wondering.
I really doubt that the Stanford OC would give up his job to come to VT. Wait a week, and Shaw might be picked up to coach an NFL team, and then the OC might gain consideration for Stanford HC. VT OC would most likely be a regression as this point.
Good news indeed. The naysayers will, and believe me they will, say yeah but look at who they played, No. Illinois and Rutgers. To which I reply, in bowls you play the team you’re picked to play. Going into last night’s Orange Bowl only one ACC team had won a BCS Bowl during the VT era and of course we know who that was. I’m very much a conference supporter a I feel a strong conference benefits each team so I’m happy for each team which won.
I think #15 Northern Illinois was both overrated and not a good match against Fla. State, nonetheless, it is still a win for the ACC….
However, Clemson’s stunner against #8 LSU and even Ga Tech’s unexpected dismantling over USC were TWO quality wins on the national stage for the ACC……….Even though the ACC is still a paltry “3-13″ in BCS games, it is progress………
I hope DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and Hampton’s own “ACC Player-Of-The-Year”, quarterback Tahj Boyd all return next year!!………..I really think they could be a national title contender and should easily be a preseason Top 10 pick!!!
I think Tahj Boyd will resist the temptation of the NFL and would raise his draft stock next year if he comes back……..Besides, the NFL money will be there, but, you only get so many chances to earn a NCAA National Championship ring!
With the talent that could return in 2013 for Clemson, I hope this is incentive enough for Boyd to come back for his senior season.
I listened to Urban Meyer on M&M this morning and was interested in his view that rcruiting is a totally “different animal” than Conference strength. One would think that an SEC team would have an advantage over a non-SEC team but Meyer says it isn’t so.
Now I can understand that some will say his remark is self-serving, and maybe so. However, Colin Cowturd says recruiting is about location, tradition and facilities, hence Miami and L.A. have star-power advantages that can’t be matched in today’s South Bend or Kalamazoo.
I suspect that they are more correct than those of us who think that which conference is seen as top dog is important. Fans work on bragging rights. Athletes have a different view. Fans ought to remember that.
I can’t imagine that Boyd, Hopkins and Watkins draft stock could improve that much. In a year when LT is still not out of the 1st/2nd round conversation due to a high demand/low supply NFL draft – he would quickly move to the top. His play against LSU was unbelievable. Hopkins is NFL ready and Watkins is also a top prospect despite some injury problems this year. While I’m sure Clemson fans and coaches want them to hang around (as much as ACC opponents hope they go), it’s not in their best interest. Still it’s possible they will all stay and more probable their decisions are deeply connected to one another. I don’t know how, but perrenial underacheiver Clemson has returned to the Clemson of 20+ years ago and even a loss of all three might do little to slow them down considering how well they’ve been recruiting.
Which makes me consider the opposite path of VT. No offense to LT, but how is it possible that we have missed out on ALL of this QB talent? I mean the list is as long as your arm of the top programs taking all of the best VA QB talent including Clemson, FSU, NCSTATE, Stanford, Penn State, Alabama (although he transferred to UVA), UNC and I’m sure a few more I’m missing. These last few years VA has produced a quantity of QB talent the likes of which we associate with Texas, California and Florida. And yet VT has been unable to grab it. Not that Tyrod Taylor and Logan Thomas are chopped liver, but let’s face the fact that we turned to LT when there were no other top options.
Well good for the ACC regardless of who they played. Let’s admit we’re just as likely to have lost to lesser talent – let’s just be happy they won. At least perhaps we can avoid a few months of the “poor ACC” talk while the media focuses on the dismantling of the Big East.
Unfortunately, after that the microscope will focus on the other weak sister – the ACC.
Watkins can’t go pro yet. Only a true sophomore.
Boyd will return. His draft stock can and should improve with another year of college ball. While TB is an outstanding college player his future in the NFL is not at all certain. Hopkins is gone unless Boyd and Watkins talk him into staying. As Andy stated, Watkins has no choice at this point as he is only a sophomore.
As a Clemson Tiger alum and fan, I hope Boyd & Hopkins stay, but would not blame either for leaving. Hopkins had breakout season, but with a healthy Watkins next year, his numbers will likely go down. Boyd could use another year to learn to better read defenses, but with the beating he took with so much running in the Chik-Fil-A, I would not at all blame him for turning pro. He can make all the throws (short and long).
ACC was 4-2 and let’s not forget that Duke fumbled twice at the goal line and NC state turned it over 5 times. Tighten that up and it could have easily been 6-0. As VTRed pointed out, VA has turned out a bumper crop of QB’s the last few years. In addition to the bowl QB’s, many VA players dotted bowl team rosters. We just need to develop programs that will attract the top players in the state. Tech has done pretty good and UVA is starting but improvement needs to be made to attract the more gifted athletes. Some will leave the state regardless but we need to improve on making the 4&5 star athletes want to stay home.
To heck with Stanford’s OC, how about Louisvilles OC?!? They’re making it look pretty easy against a top SEC D.