Tag: ACC Championship Game

ACC Football Championship Game Kickoff Set for Primetime

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The 2022 Subway Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game will feature the winner of the …

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The 2022 Subway Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game will feature the winner of the Atlantic Division vs. the winner of the Coastal Division.

This is the 13th time in the last 14 years that the game has been held in primetime, and 12 different teams have competed in the game since it began in 2005. Last season, No. 15 Pitt, behind the play of ACC Player of the Year Kenny Pickett, captured its first ACC football title with a 46-21 victory over No. 16 Wake Forest.

Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, has been the site of 11 of the last 12 ACC Football Championship Games. In 2018, the ACC and the Charlotte Sports Foundation reached an agreement to keep the game in Charlotte through 2030. Not including the 2020 game, which had limited attendance due to the pandemic, ACC Football Championship Games played at Bank of America Stadium have had an average attendance of nearly 70,000 fans. The ACC has the second-highest average attendance of any Power 5 conference championship game since 2010.

The winner of the conference championship game has gone on to play in the National Championship Game or compete in the College Football Playoff in eight of the last nine seasons, including two teams in 2020. The ACC has the second most CFP appearances of any conference.

Earlier this week, Clemson was voted the preseason favorite to win the ACC title by a poll of 164 media voters, while Miami was picked to finish atop the Coastal Division. NC State’s Devin Leary was voted the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. Leary leads a contingent of returning ACC quarterbacks who are among the best in the country. The ACC continues to establish itself as the Conference of Quarterbacks with 10 returning QBs with at least nine career starts, including Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman (46), Louisville’s Malik Cunningham (38), Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong (20) and Leary (20).

–Press release courtesy of theacc.com

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ESPN previews Independents: Notre Dame poised for success

The Irish once again will be at the head of the Independent pack

In a world of conferences, the Irish have avoided joining one sans the 2021 COVID-19 season where they were forced to join forces with the ACC. Gone forever is the argument that if [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] was in a conference they wouldn’t do well, the Irish did win the regular season ACC title before falling to Clemson in the [autotag]ACC Championship Game[/autotag].

The Irish returned to be king of the Independents last year and although the annual goal of making the [autotag]College Football Playoff [/autotag] fell short, a New Years Six Fiesta Bowl was the consolation prize. As ESPN looked ahead to the 2022 season, their preview of the Irish (insider), along with the rest of the Independents, showed the strength of the first regular season for a [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] led team.

Although projected to win 8.9 games, Bill Connelly of ESPN is still high on the Irish. It hinges on the quarterback “but if either (Tyler) Buchner or (Drew) Pyne thrives behind center, the rest of the roster is loaded with experience.” Connelly believes that Freeman could “hit the ground running” but what does that mean?

Is another trip to the CFP in store or will the Irish be back in a big time bowl game that doesn’t have Playoff implications? Regardless, it seems that Connelly is high on what Notre Dame can do this coming fall.

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FBS teams Notre Dame has losing record against

The Irish don’t lead every head-to-head matchup.

As winning a tradition that Notre Dame has, that tradition hasn’t always shined through. In fact, there are some schools that the Irish have lost to more times than they’ve beaten. A few other teams have beaten the Irish the only time they’ve faced them, and still others have more than one victory without having lost at all. Given how big the Irish are in more ways than one, that’s a sense of pride for anyone.

Who are the lucky few that can say with certitude that they have the upper hand on Notre Dame? For our purposes, we’ll narrow it down to the programs currently competing at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Quick shoutout to the teams that never will have to worry about losing this distinction because they either don’t play in the Irish’s division anymore or they no longer exist. Those programs are Yale, Knox, Chicago and Great Lakes Navy.

Now, here are the FBS programs that have true bragging rights over the Irish:

Two analysts don’t pick Clemson to win Atlantic

During The Huddle: 2022 Football Schedule Reveal on ACC Network on Monday, show host Jordan Cornette and analysts Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel and Mark Richt made their picks for which teams they think will represent the Atlantic and Coastal divisions …

During The Huddle: 2022 Football Schedule Reveal on ACC Network on Monday, show host Jordan Cornette and analysts Eric Mac Lain, EJ Manuel and Mark Richt made their picks for which teams they think will represent the Atlantic and Coastal divisions in the 2022 ACC Championship Game, which will be played on Saturday, Dec. 3 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Richt, Mac Lain and Cornette all picked Miami to win the Coastal, while Manuel went with Pittsburgh.

As for the Atlantic, while Manuel and Mac Lain picked Clemson to win the division, both Richt and Cornette predicted NC State to represent the Atlantic in the conference title game.

Here’s what they had to say when making their predictions:

Mark Richt: “NC State. NC State I think is the most balanced team in the league. I think they’re going to win their side of the division, without any doubt. And then I’m taking the boys at The U. Again, usually it’s year two when a coach gets his act together. But I think Coach (Manny Diaz) left a lot of really good players, and Coach (Mario) Cristobal really understands the culture of that place. I mean, let’s face it – home run hire at the AD position (Dan Radakovich), home run hire at the head coaching position. A lot of momentum just going into the season. So, I think it’s going to be Miami.”

E.J. Manuel: “Coach, I gotta disagree on the Coastal side. I’m going to say the Pitt Panthers get another chance to get back there. Kedon Slovis, he’s going to make that move to help himself, move on to the draft. It’s a good team. If they had a quarterback versus Michigan State, they win that game. And I’m going to say on the Atlantic side, I think Clemson gets back. I think Clemson picks it back up, they’re going to be back dominant.”

Eric Mac Lain: “I agree with both of y’all. I think we could see easily, all those situations. I think it’s going to be Clemson and Miami. At the end of the day, I think both those teams are going to have unbelievable years, but would not be shocked by NC State or Pitt playing in that game.”

Jordan Cornette: “TVD (Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke) I think is the best quarterback in the conference next year. Of all the great quarterbacks, I think he’s going to be the best quarterback, so I agree with you guys there. I do think Miami gets there. As for the other side … I think NC State.”

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Pollack throws more shade at Clemson

ESPN college football analyst and former Georgia defensive end David Pollack threw more shade at Clemson this week. In a conversation with College GameDay host Rece Davis on The ESPN College Football Podcast, Pollack gave a “money back guarantee” …

ESPN college football analyst and former Georgia defensive end David Pollack threw more shade at Clemson this week.

In a conversation with College GameDay host Rece Davis on The ESPN College Football Podcast, Pollack gave a “money back guarantee” that he believes the Tigers will not win the ACC Championship this season.

Pollack also said he expects Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) to lose to Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0) at Heinz Field on Saturday, pointing out if that happens, then Clemson’s Atlantic Division foe NC State (5-0, 2-0) would have to drop three ACC contests in order for the Tigers to make their seventh straight appearance in the ACC title game.

“I’ll give you a money back guarantee that people are not going to like in South Carolina — Clemson ain’t winning the ACC,” Pollack said. “They ain’t good enough to win the ACC. They don’t have enough offense, they don’t have enough firepower.

“And Rece, I know you’ve been telling me, and Des (Desmond Howard) has been telling me — everybody’s been saying they’ve got enough talent, they’ve got more talent than everybody. Pittsburgh’s going to put up some points. I haven’t seen Clemson put up points. I think Pittsburgh is going to win this weekend. And you think about NC State being in the division with Clemson. They don’t have any ACC losses. That means NC State would have to lose three down the stretch for Clemson to even get in the ACC Championship game, which, by the way, I’m not saying NC State couldn’t lose three down the stretch.”

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ACC Football Championship Game kickoff set for primetime

The 2021 Subway Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 4., at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game will feature the winner of the Atlantic Division vs. the …

The 2021 Subway Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 4., at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game will feature the winner of the Atlantic Division vs. the winner of the Coastal Division.

This is the 12th time in the last 13 years that the game has been held in primetime. Twelve different teams have competed in the game, including a different Coastal Division team every year from 2013-19. Last season, No. 3 Clemson defeated No. 2 Notre Dame – which played in the ACC in 2020 as a full football member due to the COVID-19 pandemic – by a score of 34-10 in the most-viewed ACC Championship Game of all time.

Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, has been the site of 10 of the last 11 ACC Football Championship Games. In 2018, the ACC and the Charlotte Sports Foundation reached an agreement to keep the game in Charlotte through 2030. Not including the 2020 game, which had limited attendance due to the pandemic, ACC Football Championship Games played at Bank of America Stadium have had an average attendance of nearly 70,000 fans.

The winner of the conference championship game has gone on to play in the National Championship Game or compete in the College Football Playoff in each of the previous eight seasons.

–Courtesy of theACC.com

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Injured Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau out for season

Tough loss for the Irish.

If Notre Dame is going to uphold its defensive reputation, it will have to do so without one of its returning linebackers. Last week, junior Marist Liufau was dealt a major injury in practice. It turned out to be a broken ankle, and he ended up needing surgery, which took place Monday morning. However, Brian Kelly said during a news conference later in the day that Liufau will miss the entire season.

Liufau was expected to start at Will linebacker this season. With that possibility out the window, the depth chart for the Irish’s season opener against Florida State lists junior JD Bertand as the new starter. Backing up Bertrand is senior Shayne Simon.

After seeing limited action as a freshman in 2019, Liufau played 10 games in 2020 while recording 22 tackles, six apiece coming in the ACC Championship Game and the Rose Bowl.

Bertrand played in seven games in 2020 and recorded seven tackles, while Simon had 14 tackles while starting eight of 11 games.

Documentary about Notre Dame’s 2020 season to air on ACC Network

Set you DVR.

It’s still hard to believe that we just had a season in which Notre Dame was part of a conference. The Irish made it count, qualifying for the ACC Championship Game and then, making the College Football Playoff. Now, you can relive it all in the ACC Network’s new documentary about Notre Dame’s 2020 season.

“Notre Dame Football: A Year in the ACC” will debut on the ACC Network at 8 p.m. EDT on Monday. Among the highlights will be the story of how the Irish joined the ACC for the season, a feature on Daelin Hayes, behind-the-scenes footage from the Irish’s regular-season win over top-ranked Clemson and interviews with key personnel from the season.

While the 2020 season paled in comparison to some of the more memorable seasons in Notre Dame history, it still is one the best to unfold over the past decade. If you have the ACC Network, give it a watch so that you can remember what it was like as it all happened.

Former Notre Dame Athletic Director Kevin White Retiring From Duke

When Jack Swarbrick took over as Notre Dame athletic director in 2008, he was following an eight-year tenure from Kevin White.

When Jack Swarbrick took over as Notre Dame athletic director in 2008, he was following an eight-year tenure from Kevin White. Since 2000, the Irish had seen the women’s basketball team win the 2001 national title and Mike Brey be hired as men’s basketball coach. White left South Bend to become Duke’s athletic director. Now, White is set to retire in August.

Under White’s leadership at Duke, the men’s basketball program has won the national championship twice. It also took home three national titles in men’s lacrosse, two in women’s golf and one in women’s tennis. The football team has made six bowl games and one ACC Championship Game appearance since 2012 after 17 consecutive losing seasons. More recently, Kara Lawson was hired as women’s basketball coach.

We wish the best of luck to White as he finishes his career. Naturally, we also hope that any success Duke has during that time doesn’t impede with Notre Dame success.

ACC Championship Game: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

There’s not much more to say about Notre Dame’s performance in the ACC Championship Game.

There’s not much more to say about Notre Dame’s performance in the ACC Championship Game. We saw what many might have thought would happen had Trevor Lawrence been able to play in South Bend. The fourth quarter was just about using the remaining time to prove worthiness for the College Football Playoff. We’ll see after a 34-10 loss.

The Tigers (10-1, 9-1) got their remaining points on a 37-yard field goal from B.T. Potter. When the Irish (10-1, 9-1) returned their offense to the field, they got help from some Tigers penalties, including a targeting call against safety Nolan Turner that will cost him the first half of Clemson’s semifinal game. Chris Tyree took advantage of these breaks by running for a 21-yard touchdown. At that point, the Irish were playing for pride and trying to sway the playoff committee their way, so we’ll see if that does anything for them.

The debate on whether the Irish should get a spot in the playoff will rage until noon Sunday. There’s a lot of lobbying for Texas A&M to replace the Irish in the current rankings, which would give the playoff two SEC teams. Still others would like to see the Irish stay in and have Ohio State knocked out after it needed a comeback to beat Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game. Whatever the ultimate decision is will say a lot about what criteria was most considered.