ACC Since Expansion: Opponents’ Division Titles Thwarted by FSU

While other conferences like the WAC and Big East have folded or been re-branded, the ACC is going strong.

The addition of Florida State in 1992 increased the number of teams from eight to nine. The arrival of Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004 brought that total to 11 and the following season, the conference added Boston College and the inaugural conference championship game.

In 2013, the ACC expanded to 14 teams with the additions of Pittsburgh and Syracuse, which is where it currently sits. The following year, Louisville replaced Maryland.

Since joining the conference in 1992, Florida State has been without question the class of the ACC. Since divisions were aligned however, the Seminoles have not only played for the ACC Championship four times, but they have stood in the way of other schools playing for the title. Assuming everything else would have played out the same, we now look at the teams who saw their titles hopes dashed because they lost to FSU:

Boston College
Year(s): 2005
Boston College’s first ever game in the ACC came against Florida State. The Eagles scored 17 straight points and led in the second half, but FSU scored the game’s final 14 points in a 28-17 win. That loss in Chestnut Hill would cost the Eagles an appearance in the ACC title game in their first year in the conference. With both BC and FSU finishing 5-3 in conference, Florida State would go on to win the Atlantic and upset No. 5 Virginia Tech for the conference title, 27-22.

Miami
Year(s): 2005, 2012
Florida State opened the 2005 season with a 10-7 win over Miami in a Labor Day contest that snapped a 6-game streak to the Hurricanes. Despite the loss, Miami looked destined for a Coastal division crown following a 27-7 thrashing of then No. 3 Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes however, would fall to Georgia Tech at home two weeks later, 14-10. FSU would go on to beat Virginia Tech for the ACC title.

In 2012, Miami finished in a 3-way tie atop the Coastal division with North Carolina and Georgia Tech. FSU defeated Miami 33-20 earlier in the year to keep the Hurricanes from winning the division outright. North Carolina won the tiebreaker, but because of sanctions, Miami was given the opportunity to play for the crown, but elected to self-impose sanctions at the aftermath of the Nevin Shapiro fiasco; the Seminoles won go on to beat Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship, 21-15.

One however, has to wonder whether Miami would have turned down the invitation had it won the division outright. The Hurricanes have still yet to play for an ACC title in 13 years as a member of the league.

Clemson
Year(s): 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014
2008 was the last year that neither Florida State nor Clemson won the Atlantic. The Seminoles and Boston College each finished 5-3 that year, but BC got the nod because of the head-to-head victory over FSU. Behind the Eagles and Seminoles were four teams that finished 4-4, but the only one to top Boston College was Clemson. Had Clemson been able to beat FSU that year in Tallahassee rather than lose 41-27, it would have been the Tigers that would have played for the ACC crown and not the Eagles. Boston College lost to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship, 30-12.

In both 2012 and 2013, Florida State handed Clemson its only ACC loss. In 2012, he teams finished tied atop the Atlantic division at 7-1, but a 49-37 victory for the Seminoles in Tallahassee broke the tie. The following year, FSU won at Clemson, 51-14 en route to going undefeated and winning the national championship.

In 2014, FSU defeated Clemson 23-17 in a dramatic overtime contest. FSU would again go on to win the ACC with a perfect 8-0 record in conference while Clemson finished 6-2 in ACC play. Had the Tigers downed the Seminoles, they would have held the tiebreaker in the Atlantic division with both teams finishing 7-1.

Maryland
Year(s): 2010
Nick Moody’s 96-yard interception return for a touchdown with under one minute to play in College Park sealed a 30-16 win over Maryland. It would also help seal FSU a spot in the ACC title game as it finished one game better than both N.C. State and Maryland in conference. The Terrapins would beat N.C. State a week after losing to FSU to punch the Seminoles’ title game ticket, where they would lose to Virginia Tech, 44-33. Had Maryland defeated FSU, it would have played in its only ACC Championship.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson