CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Three Atlantic Coast Conference football teams will wrap up their 2024 football seasons this week, as Louisville will compete in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl on December 31, Duke will play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on January 2 and Virginia Tech will play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on January 3.
The three games will wrap up the ACC’s postseason play, as the league had a record of 13 teams reaching bowl eligibility this season, tied for the most of any conference.
Tuesday, December 31, 2 p.m. ET
Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl; El Paso, Texas
Louisville (8-4) vs. Washington (6-6)
Series: First-ever meeting
CBS: Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst), Jenny Dell (sideline)
School Radio Feed: Louisville
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 139 / SiriusXM 204 / SiriusXM 371
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 371 / SiriusXM 966
Louisville is set to square off against Washington in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, December 31. The contest will mark the first meeting between Louisville and Washington.
The Cardinals finished the regular season at 8-4 and closed the year with two wins over Pitt and Kentucky. Louisville snapped its five-game losing streak to the Wildcats with a 41-14 win at Kroger Field to end the regular season.
The Cardinals were led by the trio of quarterback Tyler Shough, running back Isaac Brown and wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks, who became only the third trio in school history to pass for 3,000 yards, rush for 1,000 yards and total 1,000 receiving yards. However, Shough and Brooks have opted out of the bowl game, with both electing to begin preparing for a professional career.
Brown, who was named the ACC Rookie and Offensive Rookie of the Year, rushed for 1,074 yards and 11 touchdowns, becoming the first true freshman to run for over 1,000 yards in school history and broke Lamar Jackson's freshman rushing record. The first-year Cardinal recorded five 100-yard games and was named the Most Valuable Player after rushing for a career-high 178 yards in the win over Kentucky.
The Cardinals will head to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season. This will be the second trip for the Cards to the Sun Bowl after beating Drake 34-20 in 1958. Louisville is 12-13-1 in 26 previous bowl appearances.
Washington finished the year at 6-6 in its first season in the Big Ten Conference. The Huskies were led by quarterback Will Rogers, who threw for 2,514 yards and 14 touchdowns. However, freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is expected to start, as he completed 85 percent of his passes (17-for-20) for 201 yards and a touchdown in the regular-season finale at No. 1 Oregon on November 30.
The Huskies will be making their 43rd bowl-game appearance, dating back to their first, the 1924 Rose Bowl. The Huskies have appeared in 16 different bowl games all-time and, over their last 13 bowls (counting this year's Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl), have played in 11 different bowl games (UW twice played in the Alamo and Las Vegas Bowls during that span).
Thursday, January 2, 7:30 p.m. ET
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl; Jacksonville, Fla.
Duke (9-3) vs. #14 Ole Miss (9-3)
Series: First-ever meeting
ESPN: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Taylor McGregor (sideline)
School Radio Feed: Duke
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 84 / SiriusXM 371 / SiriusXM 374
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 84 / SiriusXM 371 / SiriusXM 374
The Blue Devils will take on No. 14 Ole Miss for the first time in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 2, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. It will also be the Blue Devils’ first appearance in the Gator Bowl.
Duke's defense has been the calling card this season, ranking second nationally in fumbles recovered (14) and tackles-for-loss per game (9.2), third in sacks per game (3.33) and ninth in total turnovers gained (26). The defense also ranks 15th nationally in third-down conversion percentage defense (.326), 35th in passing defense (194.8 ypg), 37th in scoring defense (22.2 ppg) and 44th in total defense (344.3 ypg).
The offense will be without starting quarterback Maalik Murphy and running back Star Thomas, as the two standouts both entered the transfer portal. However, the Blue Devils’ offensive line ranks second in the ACC and 11th nationally in fewest sacks allowed per game (1.00) and will be asked to try to slow down the Ole Miss defensive front.
Duke went 9-3 overall and is bowl-eligible in the first year under head coach Manny Diaz and will make its 17th bowl appearance overall, including for the third consecutive year. The Blue Devils are 8-8 all-time in postseason bowl play and have won each of their last five bowl games, tied for the second-longest streak nationally.
Ole Miss' all-time bowl record stands at 25-15 (26-15 before vacations). The Rebels rank 14th nationally in bowl wins and 20th in bowl appearances entering the bowl season.
Ole Miss is 12-4 in its last 16 bowl games on the field, including a streak of six straight victories from 2002 to 2013. This will mark Ole Miss' fourth appearance in the Gator Bowl, its first since 1991.
The Rebels offense leads the SEC and ranks second in the FBS in total offense (521.3 ypg), while the defense ranks 17th nationally in total defense (313.8 ypg). The Ole Miss defense leads the FBS with school records in both sacks (52) and tackles-for-loss (116) this year.
Friday, January 3, 7:30 p.m. ET
Duke’s Mayo Bowl; Charlotte, N.C.
Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Minnesota (7-5)
Series: First-ever meeting
ESPN: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
School Radio Feed: Virginia Tech
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 84 / SiriusXM 371 / SiriusXM 372
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 84 / SiriusXM 371 / SiriusXM 372
Virginia Tech will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, kicking off Friday, January 3, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
This season, the Hokies finished the regular season at 6-6, clinching bowl eligibility with a 37-17 win over in-state rival Virginia in the regular-season finale on November 30. Redshirt freshman quarterback Pop Watson stepped in to lead the Hokies after injuries sidelined Kyron Drones and Collin Schlee.
Virginia Tech’s defense ranks 11th in FBS in sacks per game (3.00) and 35th in tackles-for-loss per game (6.5), while also recording 23 takeaways which ranks 20th nationally. Antwaun Powell-Ryland has led the way for the Hokies’ defense, ranking in the top five nationally in sacks (16.0), tackles-for-loss (19.0) and fumbles recovered (5).
The offense heads into the postseason contest led by a rushing offense that ranks second in the ACC and 34th nationally with an average of 187.1 yards per game, led by running back Bhayshul Tuten’s 1,159 rushing yards, an average of 105.4 rushing yards per game.
This year marks Virginia Tech’s 36th all-time bowl berth and their second consecutive postseason appearance under head coach Brent Pry. Last year, the Hokies had a strong showing in the 2023 Military Bowl, where they defeated Tulane 41-20. Entering the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Virginia Tech holds a 1-1 record in this specific game, having made previous appearances in 2016 and 2019.
Minnesota finished the regular season at 7-5 overall and enters the bowl contest with a 24-7 victory over Wisconsin to close out their regular season. The Gophers have recorded notable victories this year over No. 11 USC, No. 24 Illinois and Wisconsin. The matchup marks the Gophers’ fourth consecutive bowl appearance, with head coach P.J. Fleck holding a flawless 5-0 record in bowl games while at Minnesota.