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ACC Bowl Notebook: Schedule, news and notes from across the conference

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ACC footballThe ACC placed 10 teams in football postseason games. This is the 21st consecutive season in which the ACC earned at least six bowl bids.

Not including the pandemic-affected 2020 season, the ACC has sent at least 10 teams to a bowl every year since 2016. Since 2013, the ACC is second among all conferences with 91 postseason appearances.

ACC Bowl Schedule

Monday, Dec. 27

Time, TV, Sirius, XM, App

Military Bowl Presented by Peraton

Boston College (6-6) vs. East Carolina (7-5), 2:30 p.m., ESPN, 84, 84, 84

ESPN: Brian Custer (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)

Tuesday, Dec. 28

Time, TV, Sirius, XM, App

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Louisville (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3), 3:15 p.m., ESPN, 84, 84, 84

ESPN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Jalyn Johnson (sideline)

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl

No. 18 NC State (9-3) vs. UCLA (8-4), 8 p.m., FOX, 83, 83, 83

FOX: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Jenny Taft (sideline)

Wednesday, Dec. 29

Time, TV, Sirius, XM, App

Wasabi Fenway Bowl

Virginia (6-6) vs. SMU (8-4), 11 a.m., ESPN, 137, 202, 965

ESPN: Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Kelsey Riggs (sideline)

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6), 2:15 p.m., ESPN, 80, 80, 80

ESPN: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Sam Acho (sideline)

Cheez-It Bowl

No. 19 Clemson (9-3) vs. Iowa State (7-5), 5:45 p.m., ESPN, 80, 80, 80

ESPN: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Tom Luginbill (sideline)

Thursday, Dec. 30

Time, TV, Sirius, XM, App

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

North Carolina (6-6) vs. South Carolina (6-6), 11:30 a.m., ESPN, 137, 202, 965

ESPN: Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst), Taylor McGregor (sideline)

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

No. 12 Pitt (11-2) vs. No. 10 Michigan State (10-2), 7 p.m., ESPN, 80, 80, 80

ESPN: Mark Jones (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)

Friday, Dec. 31

Time, TV, Sirius, XM, App

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

No. 17 Wake Forest (10-3) vs. No. 25 Texas A&M (8-4), 11 a.m., ESPN, 137, 202, 965

ESPN: Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

Miami (7-5) vs. Washington State (7-5), 12:30 p.m., CBS, 135, 204, 968

CBS: Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst), Jamie Erdahl (sideline)

ACC Bowl Notebook

  • Pitt (11-2), which earned a No. 12 CFP national ranking following its 45-21 win over Wake Forest in the Subway ACC Football Championship Game, will face No. 10 Michigan State (10-2) on Thursday, Dec. 30, at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium (7 p.m., ESPN). Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi served eight seasons as the Spartans’ defensive coordinator before leaving to become the Panthers’ head coach in 2015. It will be Pitt’s 36th all-time bowl game appearance.
  • No. 17 Wake Forest (10-3) earned a trip to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, and will face No. 25 Texas A&M at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 31. The Demon Deacons concluded the 2017 season with a 55-52 victory over the Aggies in a Belk Bowl game that featured more than 100 total points and 1,200 yards of total offense. Wake Forest will be making its school-record sixth consecutive bowl appearance under head coach Dave Clawson. It will be the 16th overall postseason game for Wake Forest.
  • No. 18 NC State (9-3) is headed to the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl versus UCLA (8-4) on Tuesday, Dec. 28 (8 p.m., FOX). The Wolfpack is making its seventh bowl appearance in the last nine seasons under current head coach Dave Doeren. NC State has made 33 previous bowl appearances overall, posting a 17-15-1 record.
  • No. 19 Clemson (9-3) will face Iowa State (7-5) in the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, Dec. 29. The contest is slated for a 5:45 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. Clemson will be making a bowl appearance for the 17th consecutive year, adding to its current school record that began in 2005. In total, it will be Clemson’s 48th bowl appearance, with the Tigers holding a 25-22 record in bowl play.
  • Boston College accepted an invitation to the Military Bowl presented by Peraton, benefiting the USO. The Eagles (6-6) square off against East Carolina (7-5) on Monday, Dec. 27 at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Eagles are 14-13 all-time in bowl games. This year’s bowl appearance marks the fifth in the last six seasons for BC.
  • Louisville (6-6) will play in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl versus Air Force (9-3) in Dallas on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 3:15 p.m. (ESPN). This will be Louisville’s first appearance in the First Responder Bowl and the 24th bowl appearance in school history. Cardinals head coach Scott Satterfield will lead a team to a bowl game for the sixth time in his career.
  • Miami (7-5) landed a bid to the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl and will take on Washington State in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 31 at 12:30 p.m. (CBS). Miami’s appearance marks the ninth straight year and 45th time in school history the Hurricanes have competed in a bowl game. Miami owns a 20-24 overall record in previous bowl appearances.
  • North Carolina (6-6) is set for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl versus South Carolina (6-6) at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Thursday, Dec. 30, at 11:30 a.m. (ESPN). The Tar Heels earned the program’s 36th bowl appearance and the third straight under current head coach Mack Brown. UNC owns a 15-20 record in postseason bowl appearances.
  • Virginia (6-6) will play SMU (8-4) in the inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl played at Boston’s Fenway Park on Wednesday, Dec. 29. The game is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. and will be televised on ESPN. It will be UVA’s 22nd overall bowl appearance and fourth in six years under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who has announced his decision to step down following this year’s postseason game.
  • Virginia Tech accepted its first-ever invitation to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in New York City. The Hokies (6-6) will square off against Maryland (6-6) at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at Yankee Stadium (ESPN). The game will mark Virginia Tech’s 34th all-time bowl berth. The Hokies have achieved bowl eligibility for 29 straight seasons and will return to postseason action after opting out of the 2020 bowl season due to COVID-19.
  • Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is one win shy of Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden’s ACC mark for bowl victories, which includes CFP National Championship Games. Bowden leads with 11 Bowl/CFP wins during his tenure in the ACC, while Swinney ranks second with 10. Swinney’s 10 bowl wins is tied for 13th nationally all-time and is fifth among active coaches.
  • Louisville’s Scott Satterfield is 4-0 with three bowl victories at Appalachian State and a win over Mississippi State in the 2019 Music City Bowl.
  • North Carolina head coach Mack Brown ranks fifth all-time with 14 bowl victories, including four at UNC and 10 at Texas. He is one win shy of tying Bear Bryant for fourth in all-time bowl wins (15).
  • NC State head coach Dave Doeren has coached the Wolfpack in more bowl games (7) than any other coach in school history.
  • Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson has led the Deacons to a program-record six consecutive bowl games, the third-longest active streak in the ACC. Clawson co-owns the school record with three bowl wins.
  • Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett finished third in the voting for the 2021 Heisman Trophy. He is the seventh ACC player in the last nine years to finish in the top three, including 2013 winner Jameis Winston of FSU and 2016 winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville. Last season, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence finished second.
  • Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett, whose prolific passing helped lead the Panthers to the first ACC Championship in program history, is the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which has been annually presented to the top upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with his class since 1987. Picket is the fifth ACC player to win the award and first since Clemson’s Deshaun Watson in 2016.
  • Pitt sophomore Jordan Addison was named the winner of the 2021 Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the country’s outstanding receiver, during ESPN’s live telecast of The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 9. Addison is the first ACC player to win the award since Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson in 2006. He is the third Pitt player to win, joining Antonio Bryant (2000) and Larry Fitzgerald (2003). The Panthers are now tied for the most Biletnikoff winners in the history of the award (since 1994).

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