ACC Bowl Performance

[OldPhiKap]

Congrats to FSU and the ACC.

Great game.

[killerleft]

Great poise showed by FSU after being down by 18 early. Brent and Kirk had an SEC love-fest going the whole game. The ACC certainly needed this. Thanks to the 'Noles!

[Mike Corey]

Big win the for the ACC. Winston wasn't at his best, until that final drive. Goodness gracious.

Looking forward to Duke-Ohio State in the title game next season.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Before this game tonight, the largest audience to watch a bowl game (9 mil) watched Duke and A&M slug it out in what used to be the Peach Bowl. How many watched this championship game?

[Duvall]

Before this game tonight, the largest audience to watch a bowl game (9 mil) watched Duke and A&M slug it out in what used to be the Peach Bowl. How many watched this championship game?

Largest audience to watch a non-BCS bowl game. Peach Bowl still has that.

[-bdbd]

Great, great game tonight. One of the most entertaining Championship games in BCS history.

I was rooting for the ACC all the way (and by proxy FSU). I thought that FSU was the more talented team, but that Auburn played better and was better coached, for at least three quarters.

This was important for the ACC. We now have the reigning National Champs, went 2-0 in BCS games (over, arguably, the best SEC and Big10 teams), had a record 11 bowl teams (13 if you count L'ville and ND), and came within a whisker of beating .500 in Bowls overall. I'd call it a successful year for ACC football.

Also, give Fisher credit for for getting in a plug for ACC football in the post-game interview... :-)

[ice-9]

...and came within a whisker of beating .500 in Bowls overall. I'd call it a successful year for ACC football.

Excluding Maryland and Miami's loss to future ACC team Louisville, the ACC's bowl record is 5-4. That breaks 0.500! And two of those wins were pretty major -- if only we could've pulled out the win against Texas A&M.

Speaking of, have you guys seen ESPN's too early top 25? http://espn.go.com/college-football/...op-25-rankings

How is a Texas A&M who we almost beat, who won't have miracle maker Manziel back, be ranked #16 while Duke is unranked? Disrespect!

[FerryFor50]

Excluding Maryland and Miami's loss to future ACC team Louisville, the ACC's bowl record is 5-4. That breaks 0.500! And two of those wins were pretty major -- if only we could've pulled out the win against Texas A&M.

Speaking of, have you guys seen ESPN's too early top 25? http://espn.go.com/college-football/...op-25-rankings

How is a Texas A&M who we almost beat, who won't have miracle maker Manziel back, be ranked #16 while Duke is unranked? Disrespect!

Manziel has not "officially" announced he is leaving, but most think he is as good as gone.

A&M also lost Mike Evans. So unless they cloned Manziel and get a better defense, hard to understand their high ranking. In fact, they may not be a top 25 team.

Final AP poll is out. Duke with some respect at #23!

http://college-football.si.com/2014/...ate/?eref=sihp

[OldPhiKap]

Manziel has not "officially" announced he is leaving, but most think he is as good as gone.

A&M also lost Mike Evans. So unless they cloned Manziel and get a better defense, hard to understand their high ranking. In fact, they may not be a top 25 team.

Final AP poll is out. Duke with some respect at #23!

http://college-football.si.com/2014/...ate/?eref=sihp

I may be getting my polls mixed up, but it looks like Duke moved up from 24 to 23, and Texas A&M went up from 21 to 18. In any event, glad to see that our showing in the bowl game let folks know we belonged to be in the top 25.

[bleudiable]

I may be getting my polls mixed up, but it looks like Duke moved up from 24 to 23, and Texas A&M went up from 21 to 18. In any event, glad to see that our showing in the bowl game let folks know we belonged to be in the top 25.

In all final polls for 2013 season, including the BCS, we moved up or stayed constant due to our great showing against A&M. In ESPN's pre-season 2014 projection "poll," we were not listed, but UNC was in the mid-teens, so take that for what it's worth (nothing).

[Kfanarmy]

Excluding Maryland and Miami's loss to future ACC team Louisville, the ACC's bowl record is 5-4. That breaks 0.500! And two of those wins were pretty major -- if only we could've pulled out the win against Texas A&M.

Speaking of, have you guys seen ESPN's too early top 25? http://espn.go.com/college-football/...op-25-rankings

How is a Texas A&M who we almost beat, who won't have miracle maker Manziel back, be ranked #16 while Duke is unranked? Disrespect!

A&M is probably in the "too early top 25" because the've been there before, so the expectations are probably a bit higher. Duke is ending its season in the bottom of the top 25 for the first time in a long, long while...it may take a couple of years of consistent performance before folks expect Duke to start a season in the top 25.

[CDu]

Great game by Auburn. FSU was the more talented team, but Auburn played a MUCH better game. They thoroughly confused Winston, who was even missing the read on the zone read plays. It was a pretty dismal game for Winston with the exception of the last drives of each half.

Pretty fun game to watch. Glad FSU got the win so (at least for this year) we can stop hearing about SEC dominance.

[Dev11]

Did anybody watch the alternate broadcast of the game with the coaches breaking down film? I found it highly entertaining and informative. Hopefully ESPN can figure out how to get that kind of coverage for more football in the future.

[Bob Green]

Glad FSU got the win so (at least for this year) we can stop hearing about SEC dominance.

I'm not sure we will stop hearing it. On Sports Radio yesterday afternoon, while discussing a possible FSU win, SVP stated (I'm paraphrasing), an FSU win will not mean anything, the ACC will still be a weak conference and the SEC will still be the dominant conference. He utilized conference overall bowl game performance as justification for his point of view.

SVP is a blowhard, and I really want him to be wrong, but I have a hard time disagreeing with him. As a conference, we have a long ways to go. Performance in 2013 is definitely a step in the right direction.

[Dev11]

I'm not sure we will stop hearing it. On Sports Radio yesterday afternoon, while discussing a possible FSU win, SVP stated (I'm paraphrasing), an FSU win will not mean anything, the ACC will still be a weak conference and the SEC will still be the dominant conference. He utilized conference overall bowl game performance as justification for his point of view.

SVP is a blowhard, and I really want him to be wrong, but I have a hard time disagreeing with him. As a conference, we have a long ways to go. Performance in 2013 is definitely a step in the right direction.

I disagree that SVP is a blowhard (usually), and to be fair, the SEC is still probably the best conference. They've put a team in the BCS title game, and won it, more than every other conference combined, like Duke and UNC's collective basketball dominance over other conferences. This year, the SEC didn't perform up to their lofty standards, and they still did pretty well overall (BCS bowls notwithstanding).

[killerleft]

Well, there's always somebody gonna rain on the parade, blowhard or not. The national title makes a pretty good umbrella. Congrats again to FSU, and thanks.

[Class of '94]

I'm not sure we will stop hearing it. On Sports Radio yesterday afternoon, while discussing a possible FSU win, SVP stated (I'm paraphrasing), an FSU win will not mean anything, the ACC will still be a weak conference and the SEC will still be the dominant conference. He utilized conference overall bowl game performance as justification for his point of view.

SVP is a blowhard, and I really want him to be wrong, but I have a hard time disagreeing with him. As a conference, we have a long ways to go. Performance in 2013 is definitely a step in the right direction.

I have no problem with calling the SEC a dominant conference; but I do have a problem with him call the ACC a weak conference. The ACC had a record 11 teams in bowl games; 3 teams in the top 25 and back to back years of being 2-0 in BCS bowls while doing well last year in high profile bowl games. In addition, the ACC gets Louisville which will still be an upgrade over MD (even without Strong as the HC).

I guess its still all about perception and the ACC has to continue to win high profile games; but if SVP calls the ACC a weak conference, then what does he think about his new BIG conference that MD is going to? The ACC had far more bowl teams this year than that conference. Their top team for most of the year lost to our 2nd best team in a BCS bowl; and their record in high profile bowl games over the last few years hasn't been that great (especially against the SEC and other top conferences). The BIG hasn't been in the title game or won a National championship since the early 2000s with Ohio State; and I would argue that the BIG was the 5th best conference of the 5 power conferences in football this year. So if SVP calls the ACC a weak conference, what does that make the BIG?? A pathetic conference?? I'm just sayin.....

[Kfanarmy]

I have no problem with calling the SEC a dominant conference.....

I believe the SEC dominance in FBS championships under the BCS is singificantly a matter of the format. Using the bowls to define end of season rankings is hugely advantageous to the SEC, as compared to the other major conferences. As I see it, the SEC played in 10 bowl games this year. In six of those games, I’d argue the SEC team had a significant “home” field advantage playing in SEC territory and more often than not much closer to their home stadium. Three of the games were true neutral sites, including the championship game in CA. Only in one could you reasonable assert the SEC team was at a significant geographic disadvantage…the Duke vs A&M game played in Atlanta. So the SEC goes 7-3 in bowl games…routinely I’d argue they should win 6-7 games solely based on location – win home games and half the neutral site games. What does that mean? Those teams are considered stronger than their opponents because folks tend to discount where the games are played…post-season rankings lead to pre-season rankings, so as long as you beat the other teams in the SEC, you ought to be in the championship ahead of every other conference, especially if you can manage not to play a top 25 team from another conference away from home. Not sure how people view A&M and Mizzoos performance in the SEC the past two years, but they were traditionally mid dwellers in the Big 12, shouldn’t they be bottom dwellers in the SEC, instead of immediately rising to the top?

[duke09hms]

Hate to be picky, but the ACC DID win a BCS bowl last season -- not that it was that impressive, but FSU beat Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl.

And Virginia Tech did beat Stanford in the 2011 Orange Bowl (after the 2010 season).

I agree that the ACC's BCS record has not been good, but it hasn't been a total wasteland lately.

After the 2011 season, the ACC was 0-2 with Clemson getting blown out by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl and Virginia Tech losing to Michigan in overtime in the Sugar Bowl.

So over the last four seasons, the ACC is 3-2 in BCS Bowls and has a chance to go 4-2.

I'm sure what you are thinking of is the period between 2000 and 2009, when the ACC lost 10 straight major bowls (when did the BCS start ... I think FSU's loss to Oklahoma in the 2001 national title game (the Orange Bowl) was the first BCS year). Before Virginia Tech's win in the 2011 Orange Bowl, the previous ACC win in a major bowl was FSU's 2000 Sugar Bowl (again after the 1999 season) victory over Virginia Tech (at that time in the Big East). That was the national title game under the old bowl coalition.

No, Virginia Tech got blown out by Stanford in the 2011 Orange Bowl. 40-12. So the ACC BCS bowl drought went even longer.

[bob blue devil]

How is a Texas A&M who we almost beat, who won't have miracle maker Manziel back, be ranked #16 while Duke is unranked? Disrespect!

Umm... They have a top 5 incoming class, while we don't have a top 50 class. And at the end of the day, we didn't beat them.