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ACC in Big Need of a BCS Bowl Boost
by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com

Virginia Tech plays Kansas in the Orange Bowl on January 3. The Hokies need this win to become the first team in school history to win 12 games in a season, and to assure themselves of a Top 5 finish in the final polls. It would be a big win for the program. A BCS Bowl win always tastes sweet.

However, as much as a BCS win would mean to VT, the Hokies also need to do it for the ACC. Tech's new conference home, which is a perfect fit, has not won a BCS game since 1999 when Florida State defeated the Hokies in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship. (Miami beat FSU in 2003 Sugar Bowl, but Miami was in the Big East at the time).

The one ACC win is highlighted. The first year of the BCS was 1998. With FSU's win over Virginia Tech being the only BCS bowl win, that means the ACC has never won a BCS bowl over a team that is not currently in the ACC. They've had their chances against Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Auburn, Penn State and Louisville, and the ACC has failed each time.

Let's compare the results of the ACC to the other conferences.

That's laughable, if you aren't partial to the ACC. The Mountain West and WAC have won as many BCS games as the ACC, and they've each just had one try. Only the Independents have a worse record in BCS games, going 0-3. Of course, by Independents I mean Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish haven't fared well recently when matched up against the nation's elite.

Florida State was still a top-notch program when the BCS was introduced before the 1998 season. The Seminoles played for the National Championship in the first three years of the BCS before going steadily into decline.

In the ACC's first BCS Bowl, Florida State lost to a Tennessee team in the Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship. The Volunteers caught a few very lucky breaks in the regular season to make it to the Fiesta Bowl, and knocked off the Seminoles 23-16. FSU was led by inexperienced QB Marcus Outzen, who was starting his third game because of an injury to Chris Weinke. Led by Weinke the following season, that same Seminole team knocked off Virginia Tech 46-29 in the Sugar Bowl to claim the National Championship.

The Seminoles returned to the National Title game for the third straight year in 2000, where they lost to Oklahoma 13-2 in one of the most boring National Championships you'll ever see. FSU got the Sooners in their own home state at the Orange Bowl, but couldn't get it done.

Someone other than Florida State actually managed to win the conference in 2001. This time it was the surprising Maryland Terrapins, who went 10-1 and made it to the Orange Bowl. However, their one loss during the regular season was a 52-31 rout at the hands of Florida State, and the same thing happened to the Terps against Florida in the Orange Bowl. The Gators won 56-23.

Florida State won the ACC again in 2002, despite fielding a team that only went 9-3 during the regular season. Their reward was the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Georgia 26-13. They were back in the Orange bowl in 2003, but lost to Miami 16-14. Miami was concluding their last season in the Big East at the time.

The ACC expanded for the 2004 season, and Virginia Tech won the first conference championship of the bigger, better ACC. Tech went to the Sugar Bowl, where they faced an undefeated Auburn team that many thought should be playing for the National Championship. The Hokies came close, but fell 16-13.

In 2005, a 7-5 Florida State team upset 10-1 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game to earn a BCS berth. The Seminoles went to the Orange Bowl, where they lost to Penn State 26-23 in a great game. Upstart Wake Forest won the conference in 2006, but lost to Louisville 24-13 in the Orange Bowl.

As you can see, the ACC hasn't had much success in BCS bowls. Wonder why the ACC doesn't get any respect nationally? Scroll back up and look at the tables. Every other BCS conference has won at least five BCS bowls, even the Big East. But the ACC? Just one. One. That's as many as Boise State and Utah have won.