The ACC-SEC Challenge

[Olympic Fan]

I know that footbal is sometimes a sore subject on this board, but the 2011 season is winding to a close with an interesting weekend for the ACC. I know Duke-UNC is a big deal for us (GTHC), but not much interest to non-fans of the two schools. Oh, it does have some impact on the ACC bowl picture. If Duke wins, UNC would finish with a 2-6 ACC record (same as Duke). They'd be bowl eligible (thanks to four patsy non-conference wins), but by the ACC's one-win rule (which says that our affiliated bowls have to pick the next available team that is within one game of the top available team ... simply, they can take a 3-5 team ahead of a 4-4 team, but not a 2-6 team), a loss to Duke would mean that UNC would be the LAST eligible ACC team picked for a bowl.

But there is something else interesting going on this weekend -- four ACC-SEC matchups -- all good, competitive games -- two on ACC home fields, two on SEC home fields.

Call it the ACC-SEC football challenge:

Noon: Georgia(9-2) a Georgia Tech (8-3) -- The Jackets just missed the ACC title game, while the Bulldogs are locked into the SEC title game next week.

3:30 p.m.: Vanderbilt (5-6) at Wake Forest (6-5) -- the 'Dores, screwed by the refs in overtime last week, need one more win to get bowl eligible. The Deacs are hoping to get eligible.

7 p.m.: Florida State (7-4) at Florida (6-5) -- Two heavyweigts having a disappointing season.

7:45 p.m.: Clemson (9-2) at South Carolina (9-2) -- the No. 17 team -- and an ACC Divisional champ -- at No. 12 South Carolina, bitter over being shut out of the SEC title game.

All in all, a better, more balanced challenge than ESPN sets up for the ACC/Big Ten basketball affair. The ACC comes into the "challenge" with a 1-0 record vs. the SEC (Clemson d. Auburn). It would be sweet to finish the year with a wining record head-to-head with the ntion's strongest football conference.

[OldPhiKap]

7:45 p.m.: Clemson (9-2) at South Carolina (9-2) -- the No. 17 team -- and an ACC Divisional champ -- at No. 12 South Carolina, bitter over being shut out of the SEC title game.

There was an all-out brawl at this game two years ago (+/-). This is a bad-blood feud, and should be the best of the four you mention.

[MarkD83]

These games are also big for VT football. My son who is a freshman at VT (but still a Duke BBall fan) went through this scenario.

LSU beats Arkansas and Ga to win the SEC and secures a place in the Natl championship game.

Ala loses at Auburn

Okl state loses to OU

VT beats UVA and Clemson to win the ACC.

The only thing keeping VT from moving to 2 in the BCS is the perception (perhaps reality) that ACC football is not that good. If Clemson beats USC and GT beats Ga that will go along way to helping VT do the unthinkable and prevent an all SEC Natl championship.

[throatybeard]

Ouch. Three decisive wins. At least FSU beat the worst UF team since before Spurrier left Durham.

I was a big Auburn fan on Virginia Tech's behalf. That ain't happening. Maybe if they beat Clemson in the rematch, VT will go to the Sugar instead of the Orange? I don't know what the order of the picks is this year. VT-Arkansas would be interesting.

[OldPhiKap]

Ouch. Three decisive wins. At least FSU beat the worst UF team since before Spurrier left Durham.

I was a big Auburn fan on Virginia Tech's behalf. That ain't happening. Maybe if they beat Clemson in the rematch, VT will go to the Sugar instead of the Orange? I don't know what the order of the picks is this year. VT-Arkansas would be interesting.

VT-Ark would be a bloodbath, unfortunately. The third-best team in the SEC West is better than about anyone in the country.

I'm a big ACC homer, but live in SEC country. It's just a different level of football.

Which stinks, but there it is.

[Olympic Fan]

Yeah. clear victory for the SEC. Good win by FSU (which finished with like 77 yards total offense, but dominated Florida defensively), but none of the other three games were even competitive.

[throatybeard]

VT-Ark would be a bloodbath, unfortunately. The third-best team in the SEC West is better than about anyone in the country.

I'm a big ACC homer, but live in SEC country. It's just a different level of football.

Which stinks, but there it is.

Yeah, I take it back. This isn't to disparage VT, whom I respect much. They've won the league as often as not since they got here.

It's telling that the Chik-fil-A (née Peach) Bowl matches our #2 against their #5. At this point, one pretty much assumes they'll get two into the BCS. And they've won more BCS championships that the other five power conferences combined.

[OldPhiKap]

Yeah, I take it back. This isn't to disparage VT, whom I respect much. They've won the league as often as not since they got here.

It's telling that the Chik-fil-A (née Peach) Bowl matches our #2 against their #5. At this point, one pretty much assumes they'll get two into the BCS. And they've won more BCS championships that the other five power conferences combined.

All of that is true.

It will be interesting to see if Syracuse and Pitt help pull the league up.

I'm not a Dawg fan but live in Dawg country. The LSU game will be a battle, UGa is playing pretty well the last few weeks. As a BCS hater, I will really laugh if UGa beats the Tigers and then the computer shows that the national championship game should be Alabama v. Arkansas. (I would think that LSU is a lock unless they get absolutely skunked, but still).

[Wander]

Arkansas isn't going to a BCS bowl. Alabama and LSU are locks for BCS bowls, and of course Georgia gets in if they pull the upset. But the rules won't allow for another SEC team. So the only way we're getting VT-Arkansas is if the Hokies lose the ACC title game to Clemson.

I don't agree that Georgia has gotten better. They just played their two toughest games - by far - at the beginning of the season. They lost the two games they should have lost and won the ten games they should have won. They're a consistent good-but-not-great team.

I'm interested to see what happens with Houston. Their margin of victory over a pretty good Tulsa team is very comparable to what Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Boise State did. I know the transitive property isn't that simple in sports, but I bet they can beat Michigan or VT or whatever Big East team if that's who they end up matched up against (tangent: I'm still amazed not just at how corrupt the college football system is, but how everyone knows and accepts this - all the analysts are talking about Michigan going to a BCS bowl because their fan base will buy tickets. If the Bengals finish a game ahead of the Steelers, should the NFL just give Pittsburgh the wild card because they have better fans? I don't know of any sport with as little integrity as college football).

I still think Oklahoma State has a shot at the title game.

[Duvall]

Yeah, I take it back. This isn't to disparage VT, whom I respect much. They've won the league as often as not since they got here.

It's telling that the Chik-fil-A (née Peach) Bowl matches our #2 against their #5.

Would be more telling if bowl contracts had more to do with football and less to do with ticket sales.

[Duvall]

(tangent: I'm still amazed not just at how corrupt the college football system is, but how everyone knows and accepts this - all the analysts are talking about Michigan going to a BCS bowl because their fan base will buy tickets. If the Bengals finish a game ahead of the Steelers, should the NFL just give Pittsburgh the wild card because they have better fans? I don't know of any sport with as little integrity as college football).

Boxing? There really isn't anything else out there that comes close.