# 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference football season

The 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference football season was the 58th season of Atlantic Coast Conference football. The season started September 2, 2010 and ended January 9, 2011. The twelve conference schools were divided into two divisions. The Virginia Tech Hokies won the Coastal Division while the Florida State Seminoles won the Atlantic Division. On December 4, 2010, the Hokies defeated the Seminoles 44–33 to win the 2010 ACC Championship and the right to represent the conference in the 2011 Orange Bowl, where the Hokies lost 12–40 to the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-10.

## Member schools

| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Joined ACC | School Type | ACC Football Titles |
| Boston College | Eagles | Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | 1863 | 2005 | Private/Jesuit | 0 |
| Clemson | Tigers | Clemson, South Carolina | 1889 | 1953 | Public | 13 |
| Duke | Blue Devils | Durham, North Carolina | 1838 | 1953 | Private/Non-Sectarian | 7 |
| Florida State | Seminoles | Tallahassee, Florida | 1851 | 1991 | Public | 12 |
| Georgia Tech | Yellow Jackets | Atlanta | 1885 | 1979 | Public | 3 |
| Maryland | Terrapins | College Park, Maryland | 1856 | 1953 | Public | 9 |
| Miami | Hurricanes | Coral Gables, Florida | 1925 | 2004 | Private/Non-Sectarian | 0 |
| North Carolina | Tar Heels | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 1789 | 1953 | Public | 5 |
| NC State | Wolfpack | Raleigh, North Carolina | 1887 | 1953 | Public | 7 |
| Virginia | Cavaliers | Charlottesville, Virginia | 1819 | 1953 | Public | 2 |
| Virginia Tech | Hokies | Blacksburg, Virginia | 1872 | 2004 | Public | 3 |
| Wake Forest | Demon Deacons | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 1834 | 1953 | Private/Non-Sectarian | 2 |

## Coaches

| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | ACC record |
| Boston College | Frank Spaziani | 3 | 9–5 | 9–5 | 5–3 |
| Clemson | Dabo Swinney | 3 | 13–8 | 13–8 | 9–4 |
| Duke | David Cutcliffe | 3 | 53–44 | 9–15 | 4–12 |
| Florida State | Jimbo Fisher | 1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Georgia Tech | Paul Johnson | 3 | 126–46 | 20–7 | 12–4 |
| Maryland | Ralph Friedgen | 10 | 66–46 | 66–46 | 38–34 |
| Miami | Randy Shannon | 4 | 21–17 | 21–17 | 11–13 |
| North Carolina | Butch Davis | 4 | 71–38 | 20–18 | 11–13 |
| NC State | Tom O'Brien | 4 | 91–66 | 16–21 | 9–15 |
| Virginia | Mike London | 1 | 24–5 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Virginia Tech | Frank Beamer | 24 | 229–115–4 | 187–92–2 | 38–10 |
| Wake Forest | Jim Grobe | 9 | 92–84–1 | 59–51 | 31–41 |

## ACC vs. BCS conference opponents

NOTE:. Games with a * next to the home team represent a neutral site game
| Date | Visitor | Home | Significance | Winning Team |
| September 4 | LSU | North Carolina* | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta | LSU |
| September 11 | Georgia Tech | Kansas | | Kansas |
| September 11 | Florida State | Oklahoma | | Oklahoma |
| September 11 | Miami | Ohio State | | Ohio State |
| September 11 | Virginia | USC | | USC |
| September 16 | Cincinnati | NC State | | NC State |
| September 18 | Alabama | Duke | | Alabama |
| September 18 | Maryland | West Virginia | Maryland–West Virginia football rivalry | West Virginia |
| September 18 | Wake Forest | Stanford | | Stanford |
| September 18 | Clemson | Auburn | Auburn–Clemson football rivalry | Auburn |
| September 23 | Miami | Pittsburgh | | Miami |
| September 25 | North Carolina | Rutgers | | North Carolina |
| October 2 | Notre Dame | Boston College | | Notre Dame |
| November 27 | Florida | Florida State | Florida–Florida State football rivalry | Florida State |
| November 27 | Georgia Tech | Georgia | Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate | Georgia |
| November 27 | South Carolina | Clemson | Battle of the Palmetto State | South Carolina |
| November 27 | Wake Forest | Vanderbilt | | Wake Forest |
| November 27 | Boston College | Syracuse | | Boston College |
| November 27 | South Florida | Miami | | South Florida |

## Bowl games

| Date | ACC Team | Opponent | Bowl | Location | Winning Team |
| December 27, 2010 | Georgia Tech | Air Force | AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl | Shreveport, Louisiana | Air Force |
| December 28, 2010 | NC State | West Virginia | Champs Sports Bowl | Orlando, Florida | NC State |
| December 29, 2010 | Maryland | East Carolina | Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman | Washington, D.C. | Maryland |
| December 30, 2010 | North Carolina | Tennessee | Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Nashville, Tennessee | North Carolina |
| December 31, 2010 | Clemson | South Florida | Meineke Car Care Bowl | Charlotte, North Carolina | South Florida |
| December 31, 2010 | Miami | Notre Dame | Hyundai Sun Bowl | El Paso, Texas | Notre Dame |
| December 31, 2010 | Florida State | South Carolina | Chick-fil-A Bowl | Atlanta | Florida State |
| January 3, 2011 | Virginia Tech | Stanford | Discover Orange Bowl | Miami Gardens, Florida | Stanford |
| January 9, 2011 | Boston College | Nevada | Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl | San Francisco | Nevada |

## Postseason
### All-conference teams
#### First Team

| Position | Player | School |
| Quarterback | Tyrod Taylor | Virginia Tech |
| Running back | Montel Harris | Boston College |
| Running back | Anthony Allen | Georgia Tech |
| Wide receiver | Leonard Hankerson | Miami |
| Wide receiver | Torrey Smith | Maryland |
| Tight end | George Bryan | NC State |
| Tackle | Anthony Castonzo | Boston College |
| Tackle | Chris Hairston | Clemson |
| Guard | Rodney Hudson | Florida State |
| Guard | Brandon Washington | Miami |
| Center | Sean Bedford | Georgia Tech |
| Placekicker | Chris Hazley | Virginia Tech |
| Specialist | Tony Logan | Maryland |
| Position | Player | School |
| Defensive end | Da'Quan Bowers | Clemson |
| Defensive end | Brandon Jenkins | Florida State |
| Defensive tackle | Quinton Coples | North Carolina |
| Defensive tackle | Jarvis Jenkins | Clemson |
| Linebacker | Luke Kuechly | Boston College |
| Linebacker | Nate Irving | NC State |
| Linebacker | Alex Wujciak | Maryland |
| Cornerback | Jayron Hosley | Virginia Tech |
| Cornerback | Chase Minnifield | Virginia |
| Safety | DeAndre McDaniel | Clemson |
| Safety | Kenny Tate | Maryland |
| Punter | Matt Bosher | Miami |

#### Second Team

| Position | Player | School |
| Quarterback | Russell Wilson | NC State |
| Running back | Damien Berry | Miami |
| Running back | Keith Payne | Virginia |
| Wide receiver | Conner Vernon | Duke |
| Wide receiver | Owen Spencer | NC State |
| Tight end | Dwayne Allen | Clemson |
| Tackle | Orlando Franklin | Miami |
| Tackle | Blake DeChristopher | Virginia Tech |
| Guard | Jaymes Brooks | Virginia Tech |
| Guard | Omoregie Uzzi | Georgia Tech |
| Guard | Jonathan Cooper | North Carolina |
| Center | Ryan McMahon | Florida State |
| Placekicker | Will Snyderwine | Duke |
| Specialist | David Wilson | Virginia Tech |
| Position | Player | School |
| Defensive end | Allen Bailey | Miami |
| Defensive end | Steven Friday | Virginia Tech |
| Defensive tackle | John Graves | Virginia Tech |
| Defensive tackle | Joe Vellano | Maryland |
| Linebacker | Bruce Carter | North Carolina |
| Linebacker | Bruce Taylor | Virginia Tech |
| Linebacker | Sean Spence | Miami |
| Cornerback | Xavier Rhodes | Florida State |
| Cornerback | Brandon Harris | Miami |
| Safety | Davon Morgan | Virginia Tech |
| Safety | Ray-Ray Armstrong | Miami |
| Punter | Brian Saunders | Virginia Tech |