It has been a long time since the ACC has been deemed a success by BCS standards. Since Florida State won the BCS title in 2000, the conference has won just one BCS bowl game. This season they had two BCS representatives for the first time in conference history.
It did not go so well. In fact, neither did the rest of the bowl season.
Here is a rundown of how the ACC performed this bowl season.
Best Win: Florida State, Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State fell shy of playing for an ACC championship, as many expected to see this season, but the 2012 season may still be one to watch out for the Seminoles. Perhaps they set the tone by picking up the biggest win for the conference against Notre Dame, in an 18-14 win in the Champs Sports Bowl. Florida State dug a 14-0 hole but scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to pull ahead and hang on.
Honorable Mention: N.C. State, Belk Bowl
It's not as though the ACC left much to choose from this postseason. N.C. State picked up the only other win for the ACC this season, by edging the Big East's Louisville in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, 31-24.
Worst Loss: Clemson, Orange Bowl
Clemson certainly emerged as the top team in the ACC this season but they were also leaking oil down the final stretch of the regular season. While that was not enough to slip up in the ACC championship game against Virginia Tech, it was impossible to overcome against a West Virginia team that put together a surprising offensive explosion unlike any seen before in a BCS bowl game. Clemson, the ACC champions, were embarrassed in Miami by allowing 70 points to West Virginia.
Dishonorable Mention: Virginia, Chick-fil-A Bowl
The Cavaliers took some positive steps forward this season but they ended their year by showing just how far they have to go before reaching the next rung on the ladder. After losing to the Hokies in the regular season finale Virginia was thumped by an Auburn team that took big steps back from their BCS championship season of a year ago.
The Biggest Game: Virginia Tech, Sugar Bowl (L)
Say what you want about whether or not Virginia Tech should have been in the game in the first place, the Hokies had an opportunity to prove they deserved to be in the Sugar Bowl, marking the first time the ACC was granted two BCS bowl spots in the same season. Despite largely outplaying Michigan, the Hokies crumbled in the clutch as Michigan took advantage of a couple of big plays. A controversial call on instant replay will get the blame in Blacksburg, but the Hokies had 60 minutes to take care of business against the Wolverines before that.
Results
Orange Bowl: West Virginia 70, Clemson 33
Sugar Bowl: Michigan 23, Virginia Tech 20
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Auburn 43, Virginia 24
Sun Bowl: Utah 30, Georgia Tech 27
Music City Bowl: Mississippi State 23, Wake Forest 17
Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State 18, Notre Dame 14
Belk Bowl: N.C. State 31, Louisville 24
Independence Bowl: Missouri 41, UNC 24
Conference-By-Conference Breakdown
- 0-1 vs. Big 12
- 1-1 vs. Big East
- 0-1 vs. Big Ten
- 0-1 vs. Pac 12
- 0-2 vs. SEC
- Florida State defeated Notre Dame
Worth Noting
BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU 28, Pittsburgh 6
Pittsburgh, who will join the ACC in 2013 (unless something drastic happens to change the timeline), ended their season with a thud. After entering the bowl season under eerily similar circumstances as last season, the Panthers came up small in their final game of the season, losing to future Big East member SMU.
Overall Grade: D
The ACC's division winners lost and the ACC went without a win against the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and Pac 12. Before the season started ACC commissioner John Swofford challenged his members to perform well in key non-conference games during the regular season. Perhaps the same challenge will be rehashed next season as well.
Kevin McGuire is a national college football writer for Examiner.com and the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast. He can be reached at cfbexaminer@gmail.com.
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