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Football

Four ACC Teams in Postseason Play on Saturday, December 27

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference’s postseason run continues Saturday, December 27, with a full day of bowl action, as four ACC teams take center stage in nationally televised matchups across the country. Pitt opens the day against East Carolina in the Go Bowling Military Bowl at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN, followed by Clemson facing Penn State in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Noon ET on ABC. The spotlight then shifts to Orlando, Florida, where No. 22 Georgia Tech squares off with No. 12 BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, before No. 19 Virginia caps the day against Missouri in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
 
The ACC enters the weekend at 3-1 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.
 
Pitt, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Virginia are four of 11 ACC teams competing in postseason action.
 

Go Bowling Military Bowl
Pitt vs. East Carolina | 11 a.m. ET
Series: Series tied at 2-2-0
Last Meeting: East Carolina, 37-31 (1992)
TV: ESPN
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 117 / SiriusXM 201
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 963
 
Pitt will face East Carolina in the Go Bowling Military Bowl on Saturday, December 27, in Annapolis, Maryland, marking the Panthers’ 39th all-time postseason appearance and their second trip to the Military Bowl, having previously competed in the event in 2015.
 
Since making a quarterback change in Week 6, Pitt has gone 6-2 overall while averaging 33.0 points per game behind freshman Mason Heintschel. The Panthers enter the postseason as the ACC’s top-scoring offense and 17th nationally.
 
Defensively, the Panthers rank among the nation’s best, sitting seventh in FBS in tackles-for-loss, ninth in rushing defense and 12th in interceptions.
 
East Carolina will make its second consecutive appearance in the Military Bowl and its fourth overall.
 
The matchup marks the fifth all-time meeting between Pitt and East Carolina, with the series tied 2–2; the teams last met in 1992, with the Panthers winning 37–31 in Pittsburgh.
 
 
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Clemson vs. Penn State | Noon ET
Series: Clemson leads series, 1-0-0
Last Meeting: Clemson, 35-10 (1988)
TV: ABC
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 80 / SiriusXM 84
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 80 / SiriusXM 84
 
Clemson will travel to The Bronx, New York, to face Penn State in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, December 27, continuing a historic run of postseason success.
 
The Tigers will make a postseason or bowl appearance for the 21st consecutive season, extending a school-record streak that began in 2005 and currently stands as the longest active streak among ACC programs.
 
The game marks Clemson’s 52nd all-time postseason appearance, including bowl games and the College Football Playoff, and its first trip to the Pinstripe Bowl.
 
Clemson enters the postseason riding a four-game winning streak, capped by a 28-14 victory over South Carolina in the Palmetto Bowl in the regular-season finale.
 
The matchup will be just the second all-time meeting between the Tigers and Nittany Lions, with Clemson earning a 35-10 win in the 1988 Florida Citrus Bowl in the programs’ only previous meeting.
 

Pop-Tarts Bowl
#22 Georgia Tech vs. #12 BYU | 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: BYU leads series, 3-1-0
Last Meeting: BYU, 38-20 (2013)
TV: ABC
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 80 / SiriusXM 84
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 80 / SiriusXM 84
 
No. 22 Georgia Tech will play No. 12 BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday, December 27, in Orlando, Florida.
 
Georgia Tech is 2-0 all-time in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, previously defeating West Virginia (1997 Carquest Bowl) and Syracuse (2004 Champs Sports Bowl). The Yellow Jackets will make their third consecutive bowl appearance and 48th overall, owning a 26-21 record in postseason play.
 
The Yellow Jackets enter the matchup with one of the nation’s most productive offenses, ranking among the top 12 nationally in total offense and eclipsing 500 yards in three of their last four games. Georgia Tech has scored 24 or more points and totaled 350+ yards in 11 of 12 games this season.
 
The game marks the fifth all-time meeting between the programs, with BYU holding a 3-1 series advantage, including the most recent matchup in 2013.
 
 
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
#19 Virginia vs. Missouri | 7:30 p.m. ET
Series: Missouri leads series, 1-0-0
Last Meeting: Missouri, 31-7 (1973)
TV: ABC
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 84 / SiriusXM 371
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 84 / SiriusXM 371
 
Nationally ranked Virginia will compete in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on December 27 in Jacksonville, Florida, marking the Cavaliers’ return to postseason play for the first time since 2021.
 
Virginia is 8-13 all-time in bowl games and will make its first appearance in the Gator Bowl since 2008, when it faced Texas Tech.
 
UVA enters the postseason with a 10-3 overall record and a 7-1 mark in ACC play, matching the program’s single-season highs for both total wins and conference victories.
 
The matchup will be just the second all-time meeting between Virginia and Missouri, with the programs last meeting in 1973.
 

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.