Games 1-5 | Games 6-10 | Games 11-15 | Games 21-25 | Games 26-30 | Games 31-35
16. Pittsburgh 41 Tennessee 34 – September 11, 2021
When Pittsburgh went down to Knoxville and defeated Tennessee 41-34, it raised a lot of eyebrows. There haven’t been many ACC wins over SEC teams in recent years, especially on the road, and this game set in motion what would be possible for the Panthers for the rest of the season. They went on to win 11 games and the ACC Title. Tennessee wasn’t great, but they were a decent 7-6 (4-4) team with a win over Top 20 Kentucky and near wins over top 15 Ole Miss.
17. SMU 66 TCU 42 – September 21, 2024
SMU leaps into the top 20 of the ACC’s best OOC wins of the 2020s with this 66 – 42 over TCU. It was part of a truly great first season for the Mustangs in the ACC as they made a run to the ACC Title game, and the playoffs in an 11-3 top 15 season. TCU was a solid team that went 9-4 (6-3). It never made any sense that SMU’s resume was so constantly questioned when prior to the ACC Title game, their only loss was by 3 points to a very good BYU team. This was QB Kevin Jennings first full game starting, and he completed 14 out of 19 passes with 2 TDs.
18. Syracuse 44 #25 UNLV 41 – October 4, 2024
For a non-P4 win to be this high up the list, it better be over a really good team. Syracuse’s 44 – 41 win over UNLV was just that. It was on the road. UNLV was 2-0 against the Big 12, beat Cal in a bowl game, only lost 3 total games to Syracuse and G5 playoff participant Boise State, and oh yea they won 11 games and finished in the top 25 with an 11-3 record. The win was part of a great first year for Head Coach Fran Brown as he led Syracuse to a 10-3 top 25 season of their own. After a 3-1 start that showed flashes of how good Syracuse could be, this game proved the season could be special, and it was.
19. California 21 Auburn 14 – September 7, 2024
Sure, Auburn finished the year 5-7 (2-6), and California went 6-7 (2-6), but when California went into Jordan Hare and knocked off the Tigers 21-14 it sent shockwaves around the country. The Calgorithm started to take college football social media by storm, and Cal endeared itself to ACC fans everywhere. Their defense forced 5 turnovers and held Auburn to 286 total yards. Anytime an ACC team walks into an SEC stadium and leaves with a win, that is a big deal. The ACC needs more of those kinds of wins.
20. Louisville 28 James Madison 14 – September 5, 2025
This was a quiet early September win for Louisville over James Madison. In some circles, it was even questioned whether Louisville took nearly the entire game to put James Madison away. James Madison didn’t lose the rest of the regular season on their way to a playoff spot. They finished the year 12-2 and ranked in the top 20, with their only other loss being to top 5 Oregon. By the end of the year, this absolutely qualified as a quality win for Louisville and the ACC.
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