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Football

Bowl Season Continues for the ACC

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference’s postseason slate continues this week leading into Christmas Day, as Louisville and California take the field in a pair of nationally televised bowl games. The Cardinals will face Toledo in the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans on Tuesday, December 23, while the Golden Bears travel to Hawai’i to take on the Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors in the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl on Wednesday, December 24.
 
The ACC enters the week 2-0 in postseason play, highlighted by No. 10 Miami’s win over No. 7 Texas A&M in the first round of the College Football Playoff and NC State’s victory over Memphis in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl.
 
Louisville and California are two of 11 ACC teams competing in postseason action.
 
 
Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans
Toledo vs. Louisville | 2 p.m. ET
Series: Louisville leads series, 5-3-0
Last Meeting: Louisville, 31-6 (1981)
TV: ESPN
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 80 / SiriusXM 84
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 80 / SiriusXM 84
 
Louisville will face Toledo in the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans on Tuesday, December 23, in Boca Raton, Florida, as the Cardinals continue their postseason run with a fifth consecutive bowl appearance and their first-ever trip to the Boca Raton Bowl. Head coach Jeff Brohm previously led Western Kentucky to a Boca Raton Bowl victory in 2016.
 
Louisville enters the matchup fresh off a dominant 41-0 victory over Kentucky in the Governor’s Cup to close the regular season and owns a 13-13-1 record in 27 bowl appearances. Defensively, the Cardinals have been a strength throughout the season, ranking 13th nationally in interceptions, 15th in total defense and 21st in third-down conversion percentage.
 
Toledo is making its third appearance in the Boca Raton Bowl and enters the game undefeated (2-0) in the event.
The Rockets and Cardinals will meet in a bowl setting for the first time, though Louisville holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series, with the most recent meeting dating back to 1981.
 
 
Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl
California at Hawai’i | 8 p.m. ET
Series: California leads series, 3-2-0
Last Meeting: California, 51-31 (2016)
TV: ESPN
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 80 / SiriusXM 84
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 80 / SiriusXM 84
 
California will make its first-ever appearance in the Hawai‘i Bowl, marking the program’s 27th bowl game and continuing a stretch of sustained postseason success. The Golden Bears are 12-13-1 all-time in bowl games and have now reached the postseason in each of their two seasons as a member of the ACC, including three consecutive bowl berths overall.
 
The matchup with Hawai‘i marks the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs, with Cal holding a 3-2 series advantage. The game also features strong local and coaching ties, as starting quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, a native of Ewa Beach, Hawai‘i, returns home as the state’s all-time leader in passing yards, while interim head coach Nick Rolovich previously led the Rainbow Warriors from 2016-19, guiding the program to three bowl appearances.
 

Noting ACC Football
 
ACC Lands Three Teams in CFP Top 25
  • The ACC had three teams ranked in the final College Football Playoff rankings (December 7): Miami (No. 10), Virginia (No. 19) and Georgia Tech (No. 22).
  • The Miami Hurricanes were selected to the 2025 College Football Playoff, receiving an at-large bid to secure the team’s first-ever trip to the CFP.
  • The Hurricanes are seeded 10th in the CFP field and will travel to College Station, Texas, to face seventh-seeded Texas A&M on Saturday, December 20, at noon ET on ABC.
 
Eleven ACC Teams Playing in the Postseason
  • The ACC will have 11 different teams play in a bowl game or in the CFP Playoffs for the third straight season. That is the longest streak by any FBS conference all-time. (Stats Perform)
  • This marks the eighth time since 2014-15 that the league has reached double-digit bowl-eligible teams.
  • The 11 bowl teams are the second-most among all conferences: Big Ten – 12; ACC – 11; SEC – 10; Big 12 – 10; Sun Belt – 9; American – 8; Mountain West – 7; CUSA – 7; MAC – 5.
  • Excluding 2020, the ACC has had multiple teams win a bowl game in every season since 2001. The only other FBS conference to do that in the same time frame is the SEC. (Stats Perform)
 
 ACC is the Deepest Power 4 Conference
  • The ACC has proven it is the deepest Power 4 conference this season:
    • 6 teams at 2 losses or fewer in conference play, the second-most among all FBS conferences.
    • 7 conference games have gone into overtime, the most by any conference since 2000.
      • The ACC Championship Game was decided in overtime for the first time in the 21-year history of the title game.
    • In conference play, road teams posted a 35-33 record in the ACC.
  • The ACC had the strongest non-conference strength of schedule among all Power 4 conferences:
    • Played 26 non-conference games versus P4 teams and Notre Dame to date, the most of any conference: ACC - 26; SEC – 18; Big 12 - 14; Big Ten - 12.
  • The ACC has won plenty of high-profile games this year:     
    • 6 different ACC teams have defeated an AP Top 10 opponent this season.
    • 9 different ACC teams have defeated a Top 15 opponent this year.
    • 12 different ACC teams have defeated an AP Top 25 opponent this season. 

ACC and ESPN/ACCN Enhanced Instant Replay Transparency
  • During the 2025 season, the ACC provided fans with real-time access to officiating deliberations in 25 games across ESPN, ESPN2, and the ACC Network, featuring the first-of-its-kind ACC Enhanced Instant Replay Transparency.
  • Viewers heard live replay discussions among the referee, the in-stadium instant replay official, and the ACC’s Collaborative Instant Replay Official based in the ACC’s Game Day Operations Center in Charlotte.
  • The initiative represented a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the ACC and ESPN, enhancing transparency and modernizing the fan viewing experience.
  • The ACC was the only conference to offer this level of replay audio access during select games in 2024 and the start of the 2025 season, establishing a new standard for transparency in college football officiating.
 
ACC Football Fridays
  • The ACC owned Friday nights during the 2025 regular season, setting a league record with 12 Friday games featuring ACC teams.
  • 12 of the ACC’s 17 football programs appeared in at least one primetime Friday night matchup, underscoring the league’s national presence to open each weekend.
  • ACC Friday night games delivered marquee matchups, ranked opponents, multiple overtime contests, and nationally televised showcase games throughout the season.