The ACC Championship Game is an annual American college football game held in early December by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) each year to determine its football champion. From its inception in 2005 to 2019, and from 2021 to 2022, the game pit the champion of the Coastal Division against the champion of the Atlantic Division in a game that followed the conclusion of the regular season. Starting with the 2023 season, the ACC eliminated the divisions, and the top two teams with the best conference record meet in the championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina. Duke is the current conference champion after defeating Virginia in the 2025 championship game.
The Atlantic Division was represented by either Clemson or Florida State in twelve of fifteen years through 2019, including eleven straight from 2009 to 2019, and five straight by Clemson from 2015 to 2019. The Coastal Division was represented by either Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech for the first eight games from 2005 to 2012, but from 2013 to 2019 all seven Coastal teams each represented the division after Virginia won in 2019. North Carolina State, Syracuse, California and Stanford have yet to make an appearance. Clemson in 2018 became the first team to win four consecutive ACC Championship Games, on the heels of FSU winning three straight. The Tigers then extended the record to five straight titles in 2019 and six straight in 2020. Their streak ended in 2021 when the Pittsburgh Panthers won the game, beating Wake Forest.
When there were ACC football divisions, Atlantic Division winners went on to win the ACC Championship Game for nine consecutive years from 2011 to 2019, and were 11–5 in the game overall. The Coastal teams won four consecutive years from 2007 to 2010, but did not win again until 2021. There are no football divisions from the 2023 season onwards, the game instead pitting the two ACC teams with the highest conference winning percentage against each other. For the 2020 season, Notre Dame joined the ACC for conference play in football due to the COVID-19 pandemic and played in the first ever division-less format for the game.
The ACC Championship Game is held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina each year, after being held in Florida (Jacksonville and Tampa) for its first five years. It is to remain a permanent fixture in Charlotte through at least 2030.ACC Championship Game to remain in Charlotte through 2030 season, accessed May 18, 2018 The game's corporate sponsor was Dr Pepper from 2005 through the 2018 game.
History Before the 2004 college football season, the Atlantic Coast Conference determined its champion via round-robin play during the course of the regular season and there was no conference championship game. In 2004, the Atlantic Coast conference added two teams—Virginia Tech and Miami—expanding the league to 11 teams. At the time, college football teams were limited by the NCAA to 11 regular-season games, three or four of which typically featured teams outside the home team's conference. Following the 2004 season, the league added a 12th team—Boston College—and became eligible to hold a championship game at the conclusion of the 2005 season.
The conference was divided into two divisions of six teams each. The team with the best conference record in each division is selected to participate in the championship game. In the inaugural championship game, which took place at the end of the 2005 college football season, the Florida State Seminoles defeated Virginia Tech 27–22 at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. In the 2006 game, two other teams faced off as Georgia Tech played Wake Forest. Wake defeated Georgia Tech 9–6. For the 2007 game, Jacksonville was awarded a one-year extension as host, and the game remained in Jacksonville. Virginia Tech returned to the ACC Football Championship game and faced off against Boston College. Tech won the game, 30–16, and returned to the championship in 2008 to defeat Boston College again 30–12. In 2009, Georgia Tech defeated Clemson, 39–34, but was forced to vacate the ACC championship by the NCAA.
Following the 2007 game the Gator Bowl Committee—organizers of the ACC Football Championship game in Jacksonville—announced they would not seek another contract extension due to falling attendance. With Jacksonville's withdrawal from future site selection, the ACC selected Tampa, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina as future sites of the game. The 2008 and 2009 games were held in Tampa and the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 games were held in Charlotte before it was announced as the extended home of this game through at least 2019. After a political dispute led to a one-game 2016 foray to Orlando, the ACC Championship Game has been played in Charlotte ever since.
On June 28, 2022, the ACC announced that with the NCAA Division I Council ruling that conferences would no longer be required to maintain divisions in order to hold a conference championship, it would be eliminating its divisions for the 2023 season and onwards, opting instead for a 3-5-5 scheduling format instead. This means that the ACC Championship will no longer be determined by the two division winners, but will instead have the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage face each other.
Conference expansion In 1990, the eight-team Atlantic Coast Conference added Florida State to the league, creating a new nine-team ACC."FSU to Battle for ACC Titles." Wire and Staff Reports, Philadelphia Daily News. September 15, 1990. Page 45. Though Florida State was the only school added to the conference, some league officials discussed offering one or more other schools—Navy, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, South Carolina, Miami, West Virginia, Boston College, Rutgers, or Virginia Tech—an offer to join the league."ACC Considers 10 in Expansion Plans." Dan Caesar, St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 27, 1990. Page 2D. For various reasons, however, no other team was extended an offer. Throughout the 1990s, the Atlantic Coast Conference remained at nine members. Ironically, South Carolina was a charter member of the ACC that left in 1971.
The nearby Southeastern Conference (SEC), which also encompasses college football teams in the American South, also expanded in 1990. Instead of adding one team, as did the ACC, the then 10-team SEC added two—the University of ArkansasArkansas Set to Join S.E.C. The Associated Press, The New York Times. July 31, 1990. Accessed March 13, 2008. and the University of South Carolina.South Carolina Joins the S.E.C. The Associated Press, The New York Times. September 26, 1990. Accessed March 13, 2008. The expansion made the SEC the first 12-school football conference and thus the first eligible to hold a conference championship game under NCAA rules (the first game was held in 1992).About the Southeastern Conference Accessed March 13, 2008. The SEC enjoyed increased television ratings and revenue through the 1990s and by 2003 was earning over $100 million annually, with revenues shared out among member schools.ACC expansion doesn't concern members of SEC Tim Vacek, Gannett News Service, centralohio.com. July 8, 2003. Accessed March 13, 2008.
Officials of other leagues took note of the financial boon that followed SEC expansion to twelve teams. Atlantic Coast Conference representatives began discussing expansion to twelve schools in the first years of the new century,Remote control: TV money a driving force for ACC expansion Joe Starkey, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. June 1, 2003. Accessed March 13, 2008. who began publicly pursuing the possibility of expansion anew in 2003. On May 13, 2003, representatives voted in favor of extending invitations to three schools. The only certain school was the University of Miami, while the other two spots were still being debated.ACC to ask Miami, two others to join conference ESPN.com, May 13, 2003. Accessed March 9, 2009. Initially, the league favored admitting Miami, Syracuse University, and Boston College.At Miami's Mercy The Associated Press, CNNSI.com. May 15, 2003. Accessed March 13, 2008. After a month of debate, however, the ACC elected to extend formal invitations to Miami, Boston College, and Virginia Tech, which joined after initially being overlooked.President Steger Regarding ACC Acceptance Charles Steger, Hokiesports.com. June 27, 2003. Accessed March 13, 2008. This came years after these schools were considered for ACC membership in the early 1990s but nothing had ever came to fruition. Pittsburgh and Syracuse would also eventually join the ACC after rejections in 1990 and 2003, becoming members in 2013.
Miami and Virginia Tech began official ACC play with the 2004 college football season.Miami, Virginia Tech quietly join ACC The Associated Press, MSNBC.com. July 2, 2004. Accessed March 13, 2008. After the league settled a lawsuit resulting from the departure of the three former Big East Conference teams,Conferences schedule games as part of settlement The Associated Press, ESPN.com. May 4, 2005. Accessed March 13, 2008. Boston College began ACC play in the 2005 season.After Ugly Breakup, BC Hopes for Fast Start in ACC Mark Schlabach, The Washington Post. August 10, 2005; Page E04. Accessed March 13, 2008. With the league officially at 12 teams, it became eligible to hold a conference championship football game.
Site selection Even before the announcement proclaiming the ACC's expansion to 12 teams, several cities and sports organizations were preparing bids to host the ACC Football Championship Game. The prospect of tens of thousands of visitors could provide a multimillion-dollar economic boost for a host city and region while requiring few, if any, additional facilities. One early contender was the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. Even before Virginia Tech, Miami, and Boston College were chosen as the ACC's picks to expand, Carolinas Stadium Corporation, the owner and operator of Charlotte's Ericsson Stadium (as it was called then) lobbied heavily for Charlotte's selection."Charlotte wants title game." David Scott, The Charlotte Observer. May 15, 2003. Page C3. Other early options included Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, and Jacksonville.Nine cities vie for ACC Championship game Kevin Donahue, fanblogs.com. May 10, 2004. Accessed April 24, 2008.ACC Looks for Title-Game Host The Associated Press, theACC.com. May 10, 2004. Accessed May 3, 2008."Tampa seeks to host ACC football championship". Doug Carlson, The Tampa Tribune. January 29, 2004. Accessed May 9, 2008.
Shortly after negotiations for the location of the game began during the spring of 2004, the ACC announced that it had signed a new, seven-year television contract with ABC and ESPN.ACC Reaches New Football Agreement With ABC Sports, ESPN The Atlantic Coast Conference, theACC.com. May 12, 2004. Accessed May 3, 2008. As part of the deal, the ACC would earn over $40 million in revenue a year in exchange for the networks' exclusive right to televise the ACC Football Championship Game along with several high-profile regular season games. Revenues would be divided among the 12 ACC member schools.Bigger League Means Bigger Money for Expanding ACC Eddie Pells, the Associated Press, theACC.com. May 12, 2004. Accessed May 3, 2008.
In July 2004 the ACC began deliberations about which bid to accept.ACC Sub-Committee Gathers For Site Selection Of 2005 ACC Football Championship Game The Atlantic Coast Conference, theACC.com. July 1, 2004. Accessed May 3, 2008. On August 19, 2004, league officials announced that Jacksonville would host the game in 2005 and 2006. The league would then have the option to re-select Jacksonville for an additional one or two-year contract. Charlotte was the first runner-up in the competition.Jacksonville to host ACC championship game The Associated Press, SI.com. August 19, 2004. Accessed April 24, 2008.