Around the ACC: Bowl Season

Checking in around the conference to explore all the postseason matchups.

Bowl season is in full swing and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is represented by nine programs.

The ACC is tied with the Big Ten for the second-most teams in bowl games. Each is behind the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which leads with 12 teams.

The nine-team mark is an improvement from the six bids earned by the ACC in 2021, which finished 2-4 and didn't send a representative to the College Football Playoff for the first time in its existence.

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Through two games, the ACC is 2-0. Louisville defeated Cincinnati 24-7 in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17, while Wake Forest beat Missouri 27-17 in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 23.

Below is the full slate of ACC bowl games.

Atlantic:

Minnesota (8-4) vs. Syracuse (7-5) - Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, Dec. 29, 2 p.m. 

Head Coach Dino Babers and the Orange began the regular season 6-0 but dropped six consecutive games before closing with a victory against Boston College. They'll be without junior running back Sean Tucker, who led Syracuse with 1,060 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

The Gophers ended their regular season winning four of their last five. Head coach P.J. Fleck is 3-0 in bowl games since taking over Minnesota.

Although it's just their fifth bowl game since 2010, the Orange have won four straight bowl games.

No. 23 NC State (8-4) vs. Maryland (7-5) - Duke's Mayo Bowl, Dec. 30, Noon

Before joining the Big Ten in 2014, Maryland was in the ACC and routinely played NC State inside the Atlantic Division.

Redshirt junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa leads a Terripans offense averaging 29.2 points per game. He'll be without junior wide receiver Rakim Jarrett, who is skipping the draft to prepare for the NFL Draft. 

For the Wolfpack, they tested different signal callers after redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary suffered a season-ending injury on Oct. 8. It's unclear who starts the bowl game, but NC State won its final game of the regular season vs. North Carolina behind freshman quarterback Ben Finley.

The series between these two is tied at 33-33, so whoever comes out victorious owns the all-time lead. 

No. 7 Clemson (11-2) vs. No. 6 Tennessee (10-2) - Capital One Orange Bowl, Dec. 30, 8 p.m.

After missing the ACC Championship in 2021, head coach Dabo Swinney and the Tigers returned to the conference title game and claimed the crown once more after beating North Carolina 39-10 on Dec. 3. 

Freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik is taking the reigns of the offense after junior quarterback D.J. Uiagaleli entered the transfer portal. Klubnik completed 20-of-24 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing) against the Tar Heels.

The Tigers are facing a Tennesee defense that allowed 453 passing yards to South Carolina redshirt junior quarterback Spencer Rattler on Nov. 19.

According to ESPN's Matchup Predictor, the Volunteers hold a 57.4% chance of winning.

Coastal:

Duke (8-4) vs. UCF (9-4) - Military Bowl, Dec. 28, 2 p.m.

Duke head coach Mike Elko, 2022 ACC Coach of the Year, leads his program into its first bowl since 2018.

The Blue Devils ended their regular season by winning four of their last five, including a 34-31 win against Wake Forest on Nov. 26. In the win, Duke had season-high performances from senior wide receiver Jalon Calhoun (11 receptions, 174 receiving yards, one touchdown) and sophomore wide receiver Sahmir Hagans (eight receptions, 139 receiving yards, two touchdowns). 

UCF clinched a spot in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship), but lost 45-28 versus Tulane on Dec. 3. In the loss, senior quarterback John Rhys Plumlee suffered a hamstring injury. It's unclear if he'll be available by kickoff. 

This is the first-ever matchup between these schools.

North Carolina (9-4) vs. No. 15 Oregon (9-3) - San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl, Dec. 28, 8 p.m.

Oregon was close to a 10-win season and Pac-12 Championship berth, but Oregon State mounted a comeback and defeated the Ducks 38-34 on Nov. 26.

Similar to the Ducks, North Carolina was a trendy darkhorse candidate for the College Football Playoff midseason. However, the Tar Heels ended the regular-season losing two straight games before losing in the ACC Championship.

Both programs are led by two of the top statistical passers in the nation. Redshirt freshman Drake Maye produced 4,115 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns for North Carolina, while redshirt junior Bo Nix totaled 3,389 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns for Oregon.

No. 18 UCLA (9-3) vs. Pittsburgh (8-4) - Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, Dec. 30, 2 p.m.

A year after winning its first ACC Championship, Pittsburgh sat 4-4 entering November. The Panthers rattled off four consecutive wins and averaged 31.5 points per game in that span. 

After senior quarterback Kedon Slovis entered the transfer portal, the Panthers are projected to start senior quarterback Nick Patti or freshman quarterback Nate Yarnell.

This is the final career game for UCLA redshirt senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Per UCLA Athletics, Thompson-Robinson holds the Bruins record for total offense (12,236 yards), completions (844), total touchdowns (113) and touchdown passes (86). 

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