For some off-season football reading, we want to look at the ACC’s 15 best Out of Conference wins of the 2020s. For years we’ve said winning OOC game would benefit the health of the ACC. With the obvious bias built in, and the narratives being set around the media, actual winning doesn’t matter like it should. It’s still fun to look back on some nice wins. Maybe we’ll get back to looking at results one day. We can only hope.
For the previous decade, we ranked the ACC’s 50 biggest OOC wins of the 2010s.
There were some great wins there. That’s for sure.
We look at games 1-5 here.
1. #8 Florida State 45 #5 LSU 24 – September 4, 2023
It was a top 10 matchup on a Sunday night, and Florida State made it look like it was 1990s Bobby Bowden Seminoles. Jordan Travis was the best QB on the field in a game that featured future 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. FSU dominated the 2nd half outscoring LSU 31-7, and establishing the Noles as a playoff contender throughout the year. The Tigers went 10-3 and finished in the top 15, further legitimizing the quality of this win. It should have helped propel FSU into the playoffs after a 13-0 season, but the playoff committee turned the selection process into a complete farce. That said, it was still one of the proudest moments in recent Florida State football history.
2. #25 Louisville 33 #10 Notre Dame 20 – October 8, 2023
Notre Dame’s dominance of the ACC had gone on for far too long. The Irish had won 30 straight regular-season games against ACC opponents, but on October 8, 2023, that came to a screeching halt. In primetime national TV, Louisville ran the Irish out of the state of Kentucky, physically pushing Notre Dame around in a way most college football observers didn’t think was possible. Louisville ran for 185 yards and forced 5 Notre Dame turnovers. It was an extraordinary night for 1st year Louisville coach Jeff Brohm and Cardinal football.
3. Clemson 31 #15 Notre Dame 23 – November 4, 2023
At 4-4, Clemson was staring an absolute nightmare of a season right in the face with a top-15 Notre Dame team coming to town. The Irish were 7-2, and Clemson didn’t look equipped to beat Notre Dame in 2023. Dabo Swinney and Clemson ended up producing their best win in a number of years playing with a pride and toughness that reminded the college football world the Clemson program couldn’t quite be forgotten about. The Tigers went on to win their final 5 games in a finish that landed them in the top 20 with a 9-4 record.
4. Florida State 24 LSU 23 – Septemeber 4, 2022
Back in 2012, Clemson defeated a very good LSU team in the Chick-fil-A Bowl to set the foundation for their dynastic run in the mid to late 2010s. Florida State’s 2022 win over LSU may do the same for the Noles. Florida State’s 24 – 23 over LSU set the stage for Florida State’s first 10-win top 15 season since 2016. While unranked at the time, LSU moved as high as #6 in the country and on the edge of the playoff discussion. They ended up SEC West champion and in the top 20. Yep, Florida State beat one of the best teams the SEC had to offer in 2022.
5. Pittsburgh 37 #18 UCLA 35 –December 30, 2022
Pittsburgh’s growth as a program under Pat Narduzzi is evident in so many ways – NFL draft picks, a 2021 ACC Title, and noteworthy OOC wins. Two of the three biggest ACC OOC wins so far this decade have been by the Panthers. The 37-35 win over a top 20 ranked UCLA team was a stirring Pitt victory that had Narduzzi’s team overcoming a double-digit 2nd half deficit. Pitt also won this game down several players. It finished off a 9 win top 25 season for Pittsburgh as won their final 5 games.
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