Duke makes its first ever appearance in the ACC Championship Game this weekend squaring up against top ranked Florida State. The Seminoles are one win away from a berth in the BCS Championship Game, which would be their first and the ACC’s first since Florida State appeared in the first three BCS Championship games in the 1998-2000 seasons. With Florida State appearing to be a lock for a BCS game even with a loss, here are a breakdown of the five teams who could appear in this year’s Russell Athletic Bowl. Teams are listed alphabetically.
No. 13 Clemson
Record: 10-2, 7-1 ACC
Record vs. bowl-eligible teams: 5-2
Wins over bowl-eligible teams: vs. Georgia (38-35), @ Syracuse (49-14), vs. Boston College (24-14), @ Maryland (40-27), vs. Georgia Tech (55-31)
Wins over ranked opponents (current BCS standings): vs. No. 22 Georgia (38-35)
Wins over ranked opponents (when they played): vs. No. 5 Georgia (38-35)
Losses: vs. Florida State (51-14), @ South Carolina (31-17)
Last Bowl Appearance: 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl vs. LSU (won 25-24)
Last Orlando Bowl Appearance: 2005 Champs Sports Bowl vs. Colorado (won 19-10)
Top Players:
WR Sammy Watkins – 1,237 receiving yards, 10 receiving touchdowns
QB Tajh Boyd – 3,473 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, nine rushing touchdowns
LB Spencer Shuey – 89 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries
DL Vic Beasley – 19.0 tackles for loss, 12.0 sacks, four forced fumbles
Series Records vs. Possible Opponents (With last meeting score)
UCF: 1-0, 9/1/2001 – won 21-13
Louisville: No previous meetings
Cincinnati: No previous meetings
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No. 20 Duke
Record: 10-2, 6-2 ACC
Record vs. bowl-eligible teams: 4-2 (Troy)
Wins over bowl-eligible teams: vs. Navy (35-7), @ Virginia Tech (13-10), vs. Miami (48-30), @ UNC (27-25)
Wins over ranked opponents (current BCS standings): None
Wins over ranked opponents (when they played): @ No. 14 Virginia Tech (13-10), vs. No. 23 Miami (48-30)
Losses: vs. Georgia Tech (38-14), vs. Pittsburgh (58-55)
Last Bowl Appearance: 2012 Belk Bowl vs. Cincinnati (lost 48-34)
Last Orlando Bowl Appearance: No previous bowls. Played in the Citrus Bowl against Florida State in a 1995 neutral site game, a 70-26 loss for the Blue Devils.
Top Players:
WR Jamison Crowder – 88 receptions, 1,131 receiving yards, seven receiving touchdowns
S Jeremy Cash – four interceptions, 109 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles
DE Kenny Anunike – 64 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, one forced fumble
Series Records vs. Possible Opponents (With last meeting score)
Louisville: No previous meetings
Cincinnati: 0-1, last meeting 12/27/2012, Belk Bowl – lost 48-34
UCF: No previous meetings
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Georgia Tech
Record: 7-5, 5-3 ACC
Record vs. Bowl-Eligible Teams (6-6 or better): 3-5
Key Wins: @Duke (38-14)
Key Loss: vs. Virginia Tech (17-10), @BYU (38-20)
Last Bowl Appearance: 2012 Hyundai Sun Bowl vs. USC (won 21-7)
Last Orlando Bowl Appearance: 2004 Champs Sports Bowl vs. Syracuse (won 51-14)
Top Players:
RB David Sims- 847 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns
DE Jeremiah Attaochu – 40 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 12.0 sacks, one forced fumble
QB Vad Lee- 1,414 passing yards, ten passing touchdowns, 489 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns
Series Records vs. Possible Opponents (With last meeting score)
Louisville: No previous meetings
Cincinnati: No previous meetings
UCF: 3-0, 9/2/2000 – won 21-17
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Miami
Record: 9-3, 5-3 ACC
Record vs. Bowl-Eligible Teams (6-6 or better): 4-3
Key Wins: Georgia Tech (45-30)
Key Loss: vs. Virginia Tech (42-24)
Last Bowl Appearance: 2010 Sun Bowl vs. Notre Dame (lost 33-17)
Last Orlando Bowl Appearance: 2009 Champs Sports Bowl vs. Wisconsin (lost 20-14)
Top Players:
QB Stephen Morris – 2,868 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns
WR Allen Hurns – 60 receptions, 1,138 receiving yards, six touchdown receptions
LB Denzel Perryman – 104 total tackles, 1,5 sacks, one forced fumble
Series Records vs. Possible Opponents (With last meeting score)
Louisville: 8-1-1, last meeting 9/16/2006 – lost 31-7
Cincinnati: 10-1, last meeting 9/12/1998 – won 38-12
UCF: 2-0, 10/7/2009 – won 27-7
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Virginia Tech
Record: 8-4, 5-3 ACC
Record vs. bowl-eligible teams: 6-4
Wins over bowl-eligible teams: @ East Carolina (15-10), vs. Marshall (29-21), @ Georgia Tech (17-10), vs. North Carolina (27-17), vs. Pittsburgh (19-9), @ Miami (42-24)
Wins over ranked opponents (current BCS standings): None
Wins over ranked opponents (when they played): @ No. 11 Miami (42-24)
Losses: vs. Alabama (35-10), vs. Duke (13-10), @ Boston College (34-27), vs. Maryland (27-24 OT)
Last Bowl Appearance: 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl vs. Rutgers (won 13-10 OT)
Last Orlando Bowl Appearance: 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl vs. Rutgers (won 13-10 OT)
Top Players:
QB Logan Thomas – 2,861 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, 295 rushing yards
LB Jack Tyler – 93 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, one forced fumble
RB Trey Edmunds – 675 rushing yards, ten rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns
Series Records vs. Possible Opponents (With last meeting score):
Louisville: 5-2, 1/2/2006 – won 35-24
Cincinnati: 5-5, 9/29/2012 – lost 24-27
UCF: 3-0, 8/31/2003 – won 49-28
* teams in parentheses can become bowl eligible with a win in their final regular season game.
