The three seasons of the 2020s have not been always amazing for the ACC and its teams, but they’ve all had at least one win to be proud of. This article will dive into the biggest win each ACC team has had this decade.
Boston College: 2022 at North Carolina State
Boston College peaked with its 2022 win over North Carolina State. The seventeenth-ranked team in the country looked to have the game in the bag, taking a 14-0 lead in the first half, and a 20-7 lead in the third quarter. However, quarterback Emmett Morehead led a comeback with 330 yards and three passing scores, including the go-ahead touchdown with fourteen seconds left to take a 21-20 win. A great peak among a forgettable three-year run for Boston College.
Clemson: 2020 vs Notre Dame
While Clemson hasn’t been as successful this decade compared to the 2010s, they still have two ACC Championships and a playoff appearance. But after losing to the Irish earlier in the year without Trevor Lawrence, the Tigers needed to beat Notre Dame in an ACC Championship rematch to return to the playoff for the sixth straight season. Clemson answered the challenge by dominating in a 34-10 win. They doubled Notre Dame’s total yards, and held them to forty-four rushing yards, keeping the Tigers in the playoff.
Duke: 2022 At Miami
Up to this point in Mike Elko’s first year, Duke had been solid, going 4-3 but without any quality wins and had back-to-back losses. As it turns out, Miami wasn’t great either but the dominating 45-21 win and eight forced turnovers was. The win would give Duke confidence and would close the season by winning five of their last six to finish a very good 9-4.
More Sports News
Florida State: 2022 vs LSU
This electric and chaotic 24-23 win would set the stage for Florida State’s ten-win season. Albany transfer Jared Verse would make an immediate impact with 2 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a game-winning block on an LSU extra point. With him and other talented players returning for 2023, this win could springboard Florida State to their first ACC title in nine seasons and possibly more.
Georgia Tech: 2022 at Pittsburgh
Coming just five days after Geoff Collins was fired, Georgia Tech ushered in the Brent Key era with a top twenty-five road win in the Steel City. Led by the defense which forced three turnovers, the Jackets did just enough to come through with a 26-21 win. The future looks bright again in Atlanta and this game showed what Georgia Tech football can be with a competent coach.
Louisville: 2022 vs Wake Forest
Similar to Duke in the same season, Louisville also forced eight turnovers to get an upset blowout win. Unlike Duke, this was against the #10 ranked Demon Deacons. They looked fine at first, taking a 14-13 halftime lead, but a horrific third quarter would decide the game. Louisville won the quarter 35-0 by forcing six turnovers in just fifteen minutes and ended with a 48-21 win. It will be hard to replicate a performance like that again, making it the biggest win this decade for the Cardinals.
Miami: 2021 at Pittsburgh
Being the only conference loss for the eventual ACC champion Pitt Panthers is very tough to top, especially considering the game was in Pittsburgh. While Kenny Pickett threw for over 500 yards, Tyler Van Dyke held his own with 426 yards and three scores through the air. More importantly, he came back to Coral Gables with a win. The win showed what Miami can do, and should do in 2023 and beyond.
North Carolina: 2020 at Miami
Unfortunately, not all games for Miami can be like their 2021 Pitt game. Some days you just get 554 rushing yards put on your head, which is what North Carolina did in this 2020 matchup. At the time, Miami was sitting at #10 and had been playing great football, but the Tar Heels rolled. The 62-26 win essentially stole an Orange Bowl birth from the Canes, giving North Carolina their first and only appearance in the bowl game.
North Carolina State: 2021 vs Clemson
This top-ten double-overtime win was more symbolic than anything else for NC State. The Wolfpack hadn’t beaten the Tigers in ten long years and had gotten blown out in recent matchups. Clemson had been rolling, and while NC State has been a consistently good program, they never got a huge win. Led by four touchdown passes by Devin Leary, they got it on this day in the 26-21 victory.
Pittsburgh: 2021 vs Wake Forest
Winning the Panthers’ only ACC Championship is a pretty self-explanatory choice for their biggest win this decade. The game was a part of Pitt’s amazing 11-3 season and was highlighted by four interceptions by the defense and Kenny Pickett’s fake slide. Pitt would end up scoring the last thirty-one points of the game in a blowout 45-21 win.
Syracuse: 2022 vs North Carolina State
Syracuse used a stifling defense and a great performance from Oronde Gadsden II to pull off their sixth win in a row to start the season. When the game ended with fans on the field, Syracuse clinched their first bowl appearance since 2018, their best start since 1987, and matched two seasons’ worth of wins in just six games. While the Orange came down to earth after the game, winning the top twenty matchups 24-9 is the high of this decade for Syracuse.
Virginia: 2020 vs North Carolina
A 2020 shootout over #15 is the biggest win since 2020 for the Cavaliers. Putting up 418 yards and forty-four points, Brennan Armstrong’s offense did their part while the defense held off Sam Howell and company to win 44-41. The game ended a four-game losing streak and flipped it to a four-game winning streak for Virginia in a game that hasn’t been topped yet this decade.
Virginia Tech: 2021 vs North Carolina
To start 2021 in a rocking Lane Stadium, the Hokies controlled the tenth-ranked team in the country. The game was a defensive battle, the exact opposite of their in-state rival’s game against North Carolina one year prior. Virginia Tech never trailed in the 17-10 win and sealed the game with a Chamarri Conner interception with 37 seconds left. The win took the unranked Hokies back in the top twenty-five for the sixth straight season and the twenty-eighth time in twenty-nine years.
Wake Forest: 2021 vs North Carolina State
A late-season night game with lots on the line, this Wake Forest win is the biggest this decade. The game became a shootout with eighty-seven combined points and 888 total yards. Sam Hartman rose to the occasion with over 300 yards and four total touchdowns when it mattered most. If Wake Forest didn’t win, the ACC Atlantic would have gone to NC State, further cementing the significance of the 45-42 win.
