It has been a long time coming, but in its seventh iteration, the ACC
Championship Game finally has the best matchup in the best city. It's Virginia
Tech vs. Clemson in Charlotte, and the atmosphere Saturday night should rival
any SEC Championship Game or Big 12 Championship Game for sheer electricity. I
used to think bowl games were life or death affairs, but the ACC Championship
Game has supplanted any bowl the Hokies could go to in terms of importance,
outside of the BCS Championship Game.
When it first kicked off in 2005, the ACC Championship Game was a rousing
success. The 5th-ranked Hokies went up against unranked Florida State in
Jacksonville, and the game was sold out, to the tune of 72,749 in attendance. On
television, ABC sent iconic play-by-play announcer Brent Musberger to call the
game with Jack Arute and Gary Danielson. The game drew a 5.1 Nielsen rating,
better than the Big 12 and SEC championship games. The game was a disaster on
the field for the Hokies, but the ACC came away pleased with the results.