I think we can all agree that the decade of the 2010s has been a resurgence of ACC football. I’ve looked at the ACC’s best Out of Conference wins in the past, but I want to compile the 25 best into a series so far this deacde.
So here goes with starting with 25 to 21.
Games 1 – 5 | Games 6 – 10 | Games 11 – 15 | Games 16 – 20
21. #25 Florida State 18 Notre Dame 14 – December 29, 2011
Who was the last team to defeat Notre Dame, before Alabama did in the 2012-2013 BCS National title game? It was the Florida State Seminoles. This was the ACC’s best bowl win of 2011, and got the Noles into the national title discussion to start the 2012 season for the first time in several years. In only his 2nd year and Florida State, this game proved that the Noles wouldn’t start backing up after a 10 win 2010.
22. Miami 24 #16 Ohio State 6 – September 17, 2011
This win could have been higher on this list but the Buckeyes collapsed to a 6-7 season. Coming into the game though Ohio State had won 24 of their previous 26 games. It was Al Golden’s first marquee win and seemed to have set the foundation for the future of his tenure. Year’s later the game wasn’t the stepping stone for Golden some expected, but at the time it was an upset that stunned the college football world.
23. Georgia Tech 21 USC 7 – December 31, 2012
Yes you can argue that USC was a team in total disarray by the time the Sun Bowl rolled around, but the fact remains the Trojans opened the season ranked #1 in the country and had a roster filled with future NFLers. Georgia Tech’s win shocked many across the nation, and was part of a 4-2 ACC Bowl record that year – the conference’s first winning bowl record since 2005.
24. Louisville 27 Texas A&M 21 – December 30, 2015
This was Louisville QB Lamar Jackson’s coming out party. In a 27 – 21 over Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl, Jackson had over 450 yards of offense and accounted for 4 touchdowns. It put Jackson on the national map, and set the stage for his Heisman Trophy season in 2016. SEC teams lost only two bowls games in 2015, and this was one of them.
25. #16 Virginia Tech 35 Arkansas 24 – December 29, 2016
No one will confuse a 7-5 Arkansas as a great team, but this game was significant for a couple of reasons. Arkansas led the game 24-0 at the Half, and in the biggest comeback in Virginia Tech history the Hokies stormed back for a 35-24 win. It was the Hokies first 10+ win season since 2011, and validated the Hokies 2016 ACC Coastal Division Title. The win was part of the ACC’s remarkable 9-3 bowl record, and 10-4 record against the SEC in 2016.
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