Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) History
The Atlantic Coast Conference was founded in 1953, with seven charter Universities. The ACC has since expanded to twelve teams and is scheduled to add two more in 2013. The conference fields twenty-five different sports in the NCAA’s division I sports, between both men’s and women’s athletics. As a football conference, the ACC has developed a reputation as one of the stronger and more competitive conferences in the NCAA. Clemson has the most conference championships in the history of the ACC, with fourteen.
ACC Teams
The ACC’s twelve current members are Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. Syracuse and Pittsburgh, former Big East members, are schedule to join the ACC for the 2013 football season. Many of these teams are consistent contenders among the BCS, with Virginia Tech having had the greatest success over the past decade. Other universities such as Florida State and Clemson also find themselves in the mix on a year to year basis, while teams like Duke have loitered near the bottom of the ACC. The ACC has a number of heated rivalries among its many members, including in-state rivalries of Florida State vs. Miami and Virginia vs. Virginia Tech.
ACC Structure and Championship
The ACC is divided into two divisions: the Coastal and Atlantic divisions. The Coastal Division is home to Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Duke, and Virginia, while the Atlantic Division contains Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Wake Forest, and North Carolina State. The divisions were made in an attempt to create a fair balance of power in the conference and maintain historic rivalries among the universities. The winners of each division face off in the annual ACC Championship game to determine the title of ACC Champion. The winner of the ACC Championship game goes on to represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl. Since 2007, the ACC champion receives automatic qualification for the Orange Bowl, with the exception coming in the event that the ACC Champion qualifies for the BCS National Championship Game. Often referred to as the “Home of the ACC Champion,” the Orange Bowl is one of the major BCS bowl games.
ACC Region
The ACC’s fourteen schools (including Syracuse and Pittsburgh) are spread along America’s East Coast among nine states. Four the ACC’s universities are located in North Carolina (North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, and Duke), while the states of Florida (Miami, Florida State) and Virginia (Virginia Tech and Virginia) each contain two of the teams schools. The ACC had historically been constrained to the southern half of the United States, but the addition Boston College in 2005 and future additions of Syracuse and Pittsburgh have moved the ACC north.
ACC Betting
Despite its label as a “power conference,” the ACC has not been much of a force in recent college football seasons relative to some of its counterparts. Nonetheless, the Atlantic Coast Conference offers a number of great betting opportunities for college football gamblers to win money. Conference games, the ACC Championship, and the Orange Bowl all offer the chance to make big money, simply by following and betting on ACC football. One way to get a leg up in betting on the ACC is to follow recruiting classes for the conferences teams. This can help with futures bets and predicting which teams will stay on top of the ACC and which will be surprise contenders. For the latest recruiting news and in-season updates on the ACC, make sure to follow www.FootballBetting.org, which provides great betting tips and insight regarding the division.