# 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference football season

The 2011 ACC football season is an NCAA football season that will be played from September 1, 2011, to January 4, 2012. The Atlantic Coast Conference consists of 12 members in two divisions. The Atlantic division consists of Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina State and Wake Forest. The Coastal division consists of Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. The division champions will meet on December 3 in the 2011 ACC Championship Game, located in Charlotte, North Carolina at Bank of America Stadium.

## Preseason
### Preseason Poll

The 2011 ACC Preseason Poll was announced at the ACC Football Kickoff meetings in Pinehurst, North Carolina on July 25. Virginia Tech was voted to win Coastal division while Florida State was voted to win the Atlantic division and the conference. Montel Harris of Boston College was voted the Preseason ACC Player of the Year.

#### Atlantic Division poll

* Florida State – 420 (65 first place votes)
* Clemson – 286 (4)
* North Carolina State – 270
* Boston College – 224 (2)
* Maryland – 211
* Wake Forest – 80

#### Coastal Division poll

* Virginia Tech – 421 (66)
* Miami – 328 (4)
* North Carolina – 287
* Georgia Tech – 226 (1)
* Virginia – 132
* Duke – 96

#### Predicted ACC Championship Game Winner

* Florida State–50
* Virginia Tech–18
* Clemson–2
* Boston College–1

#### Preseason ACC Player of the Year

* Montel Harris, BC – 26
* E. J. Manuel, FSU – 14
* Luke Kuechly, BC – 12
* David Wilson, Virginia Tech – 8
* Danny O'Brien, Maryland – 4
* Andre Ellington, CLEM – 3
* Lamar Miller, MIA – 2
* Sean Spence, MIA – 1
* Brandon Jenkins, FSU – 1

### Preseason All Conference Teams
#### Offense

| Position | Player | School |
| Wide receiver | Conner Vernon | Duke |
| Wide receiver | Dwight Jones | North Carolina |
| Tight end | George Bryan | NC State |
| Tackle | Blake DeChristopher | Virginia Tech |
| Tackle | Andrew Datko | Florida State |
| Guard | Brandon Washington | Miami |
| Guard | Omoregie Uzzi | Georgia Tech |
| Center | Tyler Horn | Miami |
| Quarterback | EJ Manuel | Florida State |
| Running back | Montel Harris | Boston College |
| Running back | Andre Ellington | Clemson |

#### Defense

| Position | Player | School |
| Defensive end | Brandon Jenkins | Florida State |
| Defensive end | Quinton Coples | North Carolina |
| Defensive tackle | Tydreke Powell | North Carolina |
| Defensive tackle | Brandon Thompson | Clemson |
| Linebacker | Luke Kuechly | Boston College |
| Linebacker | Sean Spence | Miami |
| Linebacker | Kenny Tate | Maryland |
| Cornerback | Chase Minnifield | Virginia |
| Cornerback | Jayron Hosley | Virginia Tech |
| Safety | Ray-Ray Armstrong | Miami |
| Safety | Eddie Whitley | Virginia Tech |

#### Specialist

| Position | Player | School |
| Placekicker | Will Snyderwine | Duke |
| Punter | Dawson Zimmerman | Clemson |
| Specialist | Greg Reid | Florida State |

## Coaches

During the offseason, two ACC schools, Maryland and Miami, hired new head coaches. Maryland bought out the last year of 10 year coach, Ralph Friedgen's contract. They hired Randy Edsall who had been the head coach at UConn for 12 years. Miami fired their head coach of 4 years, Randy Shannon, at the conclusion of the Hurricanes' regular season. They in turn hired coach Al Golden, who was the 5 year head coach of Temple. In an unexpected turn of events, on July 27, 2011, UNC chancellor Holden Thorp announced that UNC's board of trustees decided to dismiss Butch Davis as the head coach of the football team. The announcement came a week before the start of fall training camp. The firing was cited as being due to the investigations by the NCAA into academic fraud, impermissible benefits, and talking to agents in the 2010 season. The next day on the 28th, Everett Withers, the defensive coordinator of the past 3 years, was named as the interim head coach.
NOTE: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | ACC record |
| Boston College | Frank Spaziani | 4 | 16–11 | 16–11 | 9–7 |
| Clemson | Dabo Swinney | 4 | 19–15 | 19–15 | 13–8 |
| Duke | David Cutcliffe | 4 | 56–53 | 12–24 | 5–19 |
| Florida State | Jimbo Fisher | 2 | 10–4 | 10–4 | 6–2 |
| Georgia Tech | Paul Johnson | 4 | 133–52 | 25–15 | 16–8 |
| Maryland | Randy Edsall | 1 | 74–70 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Miami | Al Golden | 1 | 27–34 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| North Carolina | Everett Withers | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| NC State | Tom O'Brien | 5 | 100–70 | 25–25 | 14–18 |
| Virginia | Mike London | 2 | 28–13 | 4–8 | 1–7 |
| Virginia Tech | Frank Beamer | 25 | 240–118–4 | 198–95–2 | 46–10 |
| Wake Forest | Jim Grobe | 10 | 100–96–1 | 67–63 | 34–51 |

## ACC vs. BCS opponents

The Atlantic Coast Conference had a losing season vs. BCS opponents in 2011 with a record of 8 wins and 13 losses. In rivalry games vs. BCS opponents the ACC went 1-4 with the only win coming from the Florida State Seminoles over the Florida Gators. The ACC also had three teams play Notre Dame in 2011 and recorded a 0-3 record against the Fighting Irish.
NOTE:. Games with a * next to the home team represent a neutral site game
| Date | Visitor | Home | Significance | Winning Team |
| September 1 | Wake Forest | Syracuse | | Syracuse |
| September 3 | Northwestern | Boston College | | Northwestern |
| September 10 | Rutgers | North Carolina | | North Carolina |
| September 10 | Stanford | Duke | | Stanford |
| September 10 | Virginia | Indiana | | Virginia |
| September 17 | Oklahoma | Florida State | | Oklahoma |
| September 17 | Ohio State | Miami | | Miami |
| September 17 | West Virginia | Maryland | Maryland–West Virginia football rivalry | West Virginia |
| September 17 | Auburn | Clemson | Auburn–Clemson football rivalry | Clemson |
| September 17 | Kansas | Georgia Tech | | Georgia Tech |
| September 22 | NC State | Cincinnati | | Cincinnati |
| September 24 | Kansas State | Miami | | Kansas State |
| October 8 | Louisville | North Carolina | | North Carolina |
| November 5 | Notre Dame | Wake Forest | | Notre Dame |
| November 12 | Maryland | Notre Dame | | Notre Dame |
| November 19 | Miami | South Florida | | Miami |
| November 19 | Boston College | Notre Dame | Holy War | Notre Dame |
| November 26 | Florida State | Florida | Florida–Florida State football rivalry | Florida State |
| November 26 | Georgia | Georgia Tech | Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate | Georgia |
| November 26 | Clemson | South Carolina | Battle of the Palmetto State | South Carolina |
| November 26 | Vanderbilt | Wake Forest | | Vanderbilt |

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |
| | | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final |
| Boston College | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Boston College | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Boston College | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | |
| Clemson | AP | | RV | | 21 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 21 | 14 | 22 |
| Clemson | C | RV | RV | RV | 22 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 17 | 21 | 14 | 22 |
| Clemson | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 7 | 5 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 20 | 15 |
| Duke | AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Duke | C | | | | | | RV | | | | | | | | | | |
| Duke | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | |
| Florida State | AP | 6 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 23 | | | | RV | RV | 23 | | 25 | 25 | 23 |
| Florida State | C | 5 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 22 | | | | RV | RV | 22 | RV | 24 | 25 | 23 |
| Florida State | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | 25 | | | |
| Georgia Tech | AP | | RV | RV | 25 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 20 | RV | 22 | 20 | RV | 25 | RV | RV | |
| Georgia Tech | C | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 19 | RV | 23 | 19 | 23 | 21 | RV | RV | |
| Georgia Tech | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 22 | | 23 | 21 | | 23 | | |
| Maryland | AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Maryland | C | | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Maryland | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | |
| Miami | AP | RV | | | RV | | | | | RV | | | | | | | |
| Miami | C | RV | | | RV | | | | | RV | | RV | | | | | |
| Miami | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | |
| North Carolina | AP | | | | RV | | | RV | | | | | | | | | |
| North Carolina | C | RV | RV | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | | RV | | | | | | |
| North Carolina | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | |
| NC State | AP | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| NC State | C | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| NC State | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | |
| Virginia | AP | | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV | 24 | RV | RV | RV |
| Virginia | C | | | | | | | | RV | | | RV | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV |
| Virginia | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | |
| Virginia Tech | AP | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 21 |
| Virginia Tech | C | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
| Virginia Tech | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| Wake Forest | AP | | | | | | | RV | RV | | | | | | | | |
| Wake Forest | C | | | | | | | RV | | RV | | | | | | | |
| Wake Forest | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | |

## Bowl Games

| Bowl Game | Date | Stadium | City | Television | Matchup/Result | Attendance | Payout (US$) per team |
| BCS ||||||||
| Allstate Sugar Bowl | January 3, 2012 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans | ESPN | Michigan 23, Virginia Tech 20 | 64,512 | $17,000,000 |
| Discover Orange Bowl | January 4, 2012 | Sun Life Stadium | Miami Gardens, Florida | ESPN | West Virginia 70, Clemson 33 | 67,563 | $17,000,000 |
| Non-BCS ||||||||
| Advocare V100 Independence Bowl | December 26, 2011 | Independence Stadium | Shreveport, Louisiana | ESPN2 | Missouri 41, North Carolina 24 | 41,728 | $1,100,000 |
| Belk Bowl | December 27, 2011 | Bank of America Stadium | Charlotte, North Carolina | ESPN | NC State 31, Louisville 24 | 58,427 | $1,000,000 |
| Champs Sports Bowl | December 29, 2011 | Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium | Orlando, Florida | ESPN | Florida State 18, Notre Dame 14 | 68,305 | $2,125,000 |
| Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | December 30, 2011 | LP Field | Nashville, Tennessee | ESPN | Mississippi State 23, Wake Forest 17 | 55,208 | $1,700,000 |
| Hyundai Sun Bowl | December 31, 2011 | Sun Bowl Stadium | El Paso, Texas | CBS | Utah 30, Georgia Tech 27 | 48,123 | $1,900,000 |
| Chick-fil-A Bowl | December 31, 2011 | Georgia Dome | Atlanta | ESPN | Auburn 43, Virginia 24 | 72,919 | $3,350,000 |

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

| Position | Player | School |
| Wide receiver | Sammy Watkins | Clemson |
| Wide receiver | Chris Givens | Wake Forest |
| Tight end | Dwayne Allen | Clemson |
| Tackle | Blake DeChristopher | Virginia Tech |
| Tackle | Zebrie Sanders | Florida State |
| Guard | Austin Pasztor | Virginia |
| Guard | Omoregie Uzzi | Georgia Tech |
| Center | Dalton Freeman | Clemson |
| Quarterback | Tajh Boyd | Clemson |
| Running back | David Wilson | Virginia Tech |
| Running back | Giovani Bernard | North Carolina |
| Placekicker | Dustin Hopkins | Florida State |
| Specialist | T. J. Graham | NC State |
| Position | Player | School |
| Defensive end | Andre Branch | Clemson |
| Defensive end | Quinton Coples | North Carolina |
| Defensive tackle | Joe Vellano | Maryland |
| Defensive tackle | Matthew Conrath | Virginia |
| Linebacker | Luke Kuechly | Boston College |
| Linebacker | Sean Spence | Miami |
| Linebacker | Zach Brown | North Carolina |
| Cornerback | David Amerson | NC State |
| Cornerback | Chase Minnifield | Virginia |
| Safety | Matt Daniels | Duke |
| Safety | Josh Bush | Wake Forest |
| Punter | Shawn Powell | Florida State |

#### Second Team

| Position | Player | School |
| Wide receiver | Dwight Jones | North Carolina |
| Wide receiver | Conner Vernon | Duke |
| Tight end | George Bryan | NC State |
| Tackle | Oday Aboushi | Virginia |
| Tackle | James Hurst | North Carolina |
| Guard | Jaymes Brooks | Virginia Tech |
| Guard | Jonathan Cooper | North Carolina |
| Guard | Joe Looney | Wake Forest |
| Center | Tyler Horn | Miami |
| Quarterback | Logan Thomas | Virginia Tech |
| Running back | Lamar Miller | Miami |
| Running back | Andre Ellington | Clemson |
| Placekicker | Chandler Catanzaro | Clemson |
| Specialist | Sammy Watkins | Clemson |
| Position | Player | School |
| Defensive end | Brandon Jenkins | Florida State |
| Defensive end | James Gayle | Virginia Tech |
| Defensive tackle | Brandon Thompson | Clemson |
| Defensive tackle | Nikita Whitlock | Wake Forest |
| Linebacker | Terrell Manning | NC State |
| Linebacker | Julian Burnett | Georgia Tech |
| Linebacker | Steve Greer | Virginia |
| Cornerback | Jayron Hosley | Virginia Tech |
| Cornerback | Kyle Fuller | Virginia Tech |
| Safety | Eddie Whitley | Virginia Tech |
| Safety | Lamarcus Joyner | Florida State |
| Punter | Alex King | Duke |