Who should FSU football root for in ACC Championship game?

Who are FSU football fans supposed to root for? Do we pull for the ‘Hoos to play spoiler? Or do we swallow our pride and cheer on our hated division rivals?

As of last weekend, the 2019 regular season is (finally) over. A merciful end for FSU football if you ask me. For most teams, this means preparing for the next season or prepping for the bowl season. However for a few select teams, they have the privilege of playing some extra football, via conference championship games.

This weekend will be jam packed with conference title matchups ranging from the Sun Belt to the SEC. While you might not be all that interested in who claims the Conference- USA title, there are still plenty of great championship matchups this weekend; many of which have playoff implications.

One of these being the ACC championship game between No. 23 Virginia Cavaliers and No. 3 ranked Clemson Tigers, in Charlotte, North Carolina. There is plenty of general interest around this game because if Clemson wins, they are most likely in the playoffs. But what about Seminoles fans? Are we supposed to be interested in watching this matchup?

Florida State Seminoles Football

To me, there are few of reasons as to why a ‘Nole fan would tune in to this one. Firstly we play in the ACC (duh); we’ve also played (and lost) to both Clemson and Virginia. Clemson is also a division rival. Not to mention the weight this game carries, in regards to the playoff picture.

All that said, odds are this game winds up being a blowout. Virginia is the best of the rest when it comes to the ACC, and that really isn’t saying much. Bryce Perkins is pretty good with his legs but lacks the arm to make the throws necessary to beat a defense like Clemson’s. Not to mention that Clemson’s offense is probably going to have their way with UVA’s defense. Upsets happen all the time, I understand; but Clemson should win this game handily by all measures.

So who are FSU fans supposed to root for? Do we hope for the upset? Do we pull for the ‘Hoos to play spoiler? Or do we swallow our pride and cheer on our hated division rivals to finish off the undefeated season and make the playoffs?

Me personally, I am just hoping for a competitive game; or at least a game that showcases the ACC in a positive fashion. It’s hard to argue the gap between Clemson and the rest of the conference, but a good competitive showing from Virginia could help quell at least some of this narrative.

Who do I hope will win? For me this is a no brainer: Clemson. Obviously it pains me to see one of our rivals experiencing so much success. But damn, at least it isn’t UF who will have a chance at a third national title in four seasons; and at least it isn’t Miami with a chance to represent the ACC in the college football playoff.

I have always viewed Clemson as the lesser of our big three rivals; at least in terms of pure hatred I feel towards them. It may be weird or wrong, but a Clemson fan just doesn’t elicit the same kind of vitriol that a UF or Miami fan would, at least not from me. The only reason I consider Clemson a rival at all is because for the longest time, they were the only ACC consistently pushing us.

For the longest stretch of time, the ACC champion was either FSU or Clemson, so the annual matchup between the two schools grew from an inter-divisional matchup to a game that had national title implications. Thus, a rivalry was born. (Though some consider the “Bowden-Bowl-Era” the birth of the rivalry, this game really didn’t matter much until Jimbo and Dabo took over).

Also, it’s important to know that if Clemson does win the ACC championship on Saturday, they will almost undoubtedly make the college football playoff and represent the ACC by doing so. I am not one of these conference-homers that lives and dies with the success or failure of other teams in my conference; but there is no denying the benefits of having the national champion come from your conference.

All ships rise with the tide is my thinking here (financially there is no argument). With that, as the Cajuns like to say, Go Tigas! Just this once.