FSU Football: How Would An ACC Football Tournament Look?

As the ACC plays out their annual basketball tournament, we look at how FSU football would do if their was a similar tournament for football?

Just blocks away from both the White House and the U.S. Capitol building, the Atlantic Coast Conference has been holding their annual basketball tournament to decide which team will get the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The fun of March Madness is a unique experience that almost all conferences experience each season (looking at you, Ivy League…join the party already).

For fans of college football, the FBS level is known for conferences having a one game tournament to decide the champion each season. While there are some out there that wouldn’t mind the NCAA using the basketball tournament’s model for college football, we are still years away from that possibly being a reality (hopefully it won’t, but that’s just my opinion).

But what if we DID have a tournament style in football to decide things? At least at the conference level, let us take a look at what an ACC tournament would look like in football if it were done the same way as in basketball.

2015 Season ACC Football Tournament

Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)

First Round (higher seed is designated home team)

(12) Georgia Tech vs. (13) Wake Forest – The conference is really starting off with a bang between two teams that went 3-9 last season. As bad as the Yellow Jackets were this year (with their one conference win being on a fluke play), their talent level dwarfs the Demon Deacons. Winner: Georgia Tech

(11) Syracuse vs. (14) Boston College – There are some old school ACC people that wouldn’t mind sending these two programs back to the Big East…or whatever that conference is called in football now. The Eagles remain winless in league play. Winner: Syracuse

Second Round

(8) Virginia Tech vs. (9) N.C. State – Knowing now that this was Frank Beamer’s final season with the Hokies, there is part of me that wants to give him at least one win in this fake system. But, I have to stick with who is the better team, and that’s the Wolfpack. Winner: N.C. State

(5) Miami vs. (12) Georgia Tech – If it weren’t for those pesky Clemson Tigers and Florida State Seminoles, the Hurricanes would finally be “back” like they have been saying they will be for the past decade. Still, even interim coach Larry Scott could beat these guys for a second time. Winner: Miami

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(7) Duke vs. (10) Virginia – What would be a decent game on the hardwood might actually be a decent game on the football field as well. The Blue Devils have proven to not just be a one hit wonder and might stick around the middle of the conference for a while. Winner: Duke

(6) Louisville vs. (11) Syracuse – Against, two of the conference’s newbies meet on the field and watch the heads of old school people from the Carolinas as their head explode. A slow start almost buried the Cardinals this year, but they became pretty dangerous toward the season’s end. Winner: Louisville

Quarterfinals

(1) Clemson vs. (9) N.C. State – For the second time in the last three seasons, the ACC had the top ranked team in the land for much of the second half of the season. The Wolfpack hung with that team for their regular season meeting, but the Tigers won’t let that happen again. Winner: Clemson

(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Miami – These two teams and old Big East foes met in the regular season finale, in which the ‘Canes came out on top despite not exactly playing their best game. Without James Conner this season as a result of injuries and later illness, it’s all about “the U” for this round. Winner: Miami

(2) North Carolina vs. (7) Duke – Oh yes, folks…it wouldn’t be an ACC tournament of any kind without the Tar Heels and Blue Devils being able to hate one another in competition. Just like the regular season meeting, North Carolina can’t be stopped and rolls on to the next round. Winner: North Carolina

(3) Florida State vs. (6) Louisville – The ‘Noles finally get on the field and face an Atlantic Division foe that they took care of pretty easily during the regular season. With a healthy Dalvin Cook given a few extra days to stay healthy, he runs all over the Cardinals and FSU football advances. Winner: Florida State

Semifinals

(1) Clemson vs. (5) Miami – For those who were in Sun Life Stadium at the end of October and watched the worst lost in ‘Canes program history, it’s almost unfair to ask these players to get back on the field with Clemson and have to face the Tigers again. Winner: Clemson

(2) North Carolina vs. (3) Florida State – The Tar Heels had an amazing season on offense, but their defense was known for giving up plenty of big plays and points. With a defense like Florida State’s and a much better Seminoles offense than UNC saw in the regular season, FSU football can handle their business. Winner: Florida State

Championship Game

(1) Clemson vs. (3) Florida State – It doesn’t come as a shock at all that these two teams made it to this point. Their game during the first Saturday in November was basically for the championship and a spot in the college football playoff, even with FSU football’s earlier loss to Georgia Tech. The Seminoles hung with the Tigers for the first half, and you could argue that it was self-inflected mistakes that cost them the ball game. Still, as much of a proud FSU graduate as I am, this was Clemson’s year and, even with this new system, they still bring home the title. Winner: Clemson

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