ACC Championship Game The Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game is an American college football game held on the first Saturday in December by the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) each year to determine its football champion . The game pits the champion of the Coastal Division against the champion of the Atlantic Division in a game that follows the conclusion of the regular season . The game ' s corporate sponsor is Dr Pepper , and the conference has a deal with ABC for rights to the television broadcast . 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 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 . As of 2010 , six of the twelve ACC teams have played in the championship , with four different champions in the first five years . Following the 2007 game , the Gator Bowl Committee — organizers of the ACC 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 , while the 2010 and 2011 games will be held in Charlotte . In 2008 , the Coastal Division champion was the designated " home " team . " Home " teams are 1 – 2 in ACC Championship Games . Conference expansion . In 1990 , the eight - team Atlantic Coast Conference added Florida State to the league , creating a new nine - team ACC . 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 . For various reasons , however , no other team was extended an offer . Throughout the 1990s , the Atlantic Coast Conference remained at nine members . 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 Arkansas and the University of South Carolina . The expansion made the SEC the first college football conference eligible to hold a conference championship game under NCAA rules , and the first game was held in 1992 . Throughout the 1990s , the SEC enjoyed growing television ratings , revenue , and success on the football field . By 2003 , the league was earning over $ 100 million annually , with the proceeds split among the member schools . The SEC ' s earnings and success on the football field proved attractive to Atlantic Coast Conference representatives , 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 . Initially , the league favored admitting Miami , Syracuse University , and Boston College . 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 . Miami and Virginia Tech began official ACC play with the 2004 college football season . After the league settled a lawsuit resulting from the departure of the three former Big East Conference teams , Boston College began ACC play in the 2005 season . 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 Championship Game . To a host city , the prospect of tens of thousands of visitors could provide a multi - million - dollar economic boost to the 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 . Other early options included Orlando , Tampa , Atlanta , and Jacksonville . 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 - TV and ESPN . 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 Championship Game and several so - called " big - name " games . The income was to be divided among all 12 member schools . In July 2004 , the ACC began deliberations about which offer to select . After several months of negotiations and discussions , the ACC made its decision . On August 19 , 2004 , the league 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 . League officials said Charlotte was the first runner - up in the competition to be the host of the game . For its first three years , the championship game was held at EverBank Field ( known as " Alltel Stadium " in 2005 and 2006 , and " Jacksonville Municipal Stadium " in 2007 ) . That contract expired after the 2007 season . In December 2007 , the ACC awarded the next four games to Tampa , and Charlotte . Raymond James Stadium in Tampa was location of the game in 2008 and 2009 , and the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte was the location of the game in 2010 and 2011 . Team selection . Following the absorption of Virginia Tech and Miami into the ACC , questions arose about how an 11 - team league could fairly select participants in the conference championship game . A divisional structure involving two six - team divisions competing for two championship - game slots would not be possible . In addition , the ACC could not continue to select its champion via round - robin play since there were now 11 teams and only seven or eight conference games available per team . Even the NCAA ' s addition of a 12th game to the regular season did little to relieve the conference ' s problem . Prior to the 2004 college football season , the ACC requested a waiver to the NCAA ' s rule requiring conferences to have 12 - plus teams before having a conference championship game . Before the season began , however , the NCAA rejected the ACC ' s application , and the league had to use a semi - round - robin format to select a champion during the 2004 football season . After that season , the inclusion of Boston College as the ACC ' s 12th team solved the problem of enabling the ACC to have a championship football game . On October 18 , 2004 , the ACC announced its new football structure with two divisions . Each six - team division plays a round - robin schedule within the division and a rotation of three conference games against teams from the opposing division . The two teams with the best conference records in each division earn places to the championship game . In the event of a tie in records within one division , divisional records and the results of head - to - head games are considered . Also , in the games between the two divisions , each team has a permanent rival team that is played every year . Hence , every year , there are these football games : Georgia Tech vs . Clemson ; North Carolina vs . North Carolina State ; Maryland vs . Virginia ; Duke vs . Wake Forest ; Florida State vs . Miami ; and Boston College vs . Virginia Tech . Divisions . Atlantic Division Coastal Division Results . 2005 . The inaugural ACC Championship Game kicked off in Jacksonville , Florida at 8 : 11 p . m . on December 3 , 2005 . The game was televised on ABC in the United States , and earned a Nielsen rating of 5 . 1 , higher than that of either the Big 12 Championship Game or the Southeastern Conference Championship Game . The game pitted the Virginia Tech Hokies , champions of the Coastal Division , against the Florida State Seminoles , champions of the Atlantic Division . The game was marked by defense and penalties throughout . In the first half , both teams battled to a 3 – 3 tie . Florida State scored first , with a field goal in the early first quarter , but Virginia Tech fought back , equalizing the score before the end of the quarter . Both teams were held scoreless in the second quarter . In the third quarter , Florida State took a 27 – 3 lead , courtesy of a series of successful offensive drives by Seminoles quarterback Drew Weatherford . Virginia Tech fought back in the fourth quarter , closing the gap to 27 – 22 , but time ran out before the Hokies could attempt a go - ahead drive . Florida State won the inaugural ACC Championship game , 27 – 22 . 2006 . The 2006 ACC Championship Game featured Wake Forest , which had not won an ACC championship since 1970 , and Georgia Tech , which had won the ACC championships in 1990 and 1998 along with a split national championship in 1990 . At the beginning of the season , neither team was predicted to participate in the championship game — Wake Forest was picked to finish last in the Atlantic Division , while Georgia Tech was picked to finish third in the Coastal Division . Wake Forest , buoyed by the play of ACC rookie of the year Riley Skinner , upset expectations by winning 10 games — the most in school history . Georgia Tech , meanwhile , went 5 – 1 to start its season and defeated No . 11 Virginia Tech to overcome its only challenger for the Coastal Division title . The game , which kicked off on December 2 , 2006 , was marked by poor weather . Defense dominated from the beginning , as Georgia Tech took a 3 – 0 lead in the first quarter . Wake Forest evened the score before halftime , however , and the two teams headed into the second half tied at 3 – 3 . After a scoreless third quarter , Georgia Tech took a 6 – 3 lead early in the fourth quarter . After Tech quarterback Reggie Ball threw a critical interception , Wake Forest was able to tie the game , then take a 9 – 6 lead . With time running out , Wake ' s defense denied Georgia Tech a game - winning score , and Wake Forest clinched the win . All the scoring in the game came via five field goals , and Wake Forest ' s kicker , Sam Swank , was named the game ' s most valuable player . 2007 . The 2007 ACC Championship Game saw the Virginia Tech Hokies return to the contest for the second time in three years . On the other side of the field was Boston College , which finished the season with a 10 – 2 overall record . The game kicked off at 1 : 10 p . m . EST in Jacksonville , Florida . The game was broadcast on ABC and netted a television rating of 4 . 1 , placing it behind the SEC Championship Game and the Big 12 Championship Game , which earned ratings of 5 . 9 and 6 . 6 , respectively . In the first half , the two teams battled to a 16 – 16 tie . Boston College took a 7 – 0 lead in the first quarter and a 10 – 0 lead early in the second , but Virginia Tech earned a rare defensive two - point conversion following a second Boston College touchdown and tacked on two touchdowns of its own to tie the game before halftime . In the second half , the two teams ratcheted up their defensive play . Neither team scored in the third quarter , and the tie continued well into the fourth quarter . With 6 : 30 remaining in the game , Virginia Tech took its first lead of the game on a 24 - yard pass from quarterback Sean Glennon . With time running out , Boston College was forced into a hurry - up offense . Eagles quarterback and ACC Offensive Player of the Year Matt Ryan threw an interception , however , and Tech defender Xavier Adibi returned the pass for a touchdown . The score gave Virginia Tech a 30 – 16 lead and the victory . 2008 . The 2008 ACC Championship Game was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa , Florida , on December 6 , 2008 . The game was moved to Tampa after poor attendance in Jacksonville caused conference officials to seek a new site . Despite the new location , attendance continued to be low . Turnstile attendance was 27 , 360 ; approximately half of the 53 , 927 tickets distributed for the game went unused . Virginia Tech returned to the ACC Championship game in 2008 for the third time in the contest ' s four - year history as champion of the Coastal division . Representing the Atlantic division was Boston College . The two teams played in the 2007 ACC Championship game , but had to endure a conference schedule regarded as crazy , wacky , " a mess " , and " confusing " by members of the media and college football fans . So closely matched were the 12 teams of the conference that as late as the second - to - last week of the regular season , nine teams were still in the running for a place in the championship game . Following the final week of the regular season , both Virginia Tech and Boston College earned their berths in the championship game by virtue of tie - breaking rules that selected the two teams by virtue of head - to - head wins over their compatriots . The game itself was much less closely contested . Though it began slowly , with both teams punt ing after their opening possessions , Virginia Tech took a 7 – 0 lead near the end of the first quarter with a five - yard touchdown run by Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor . The Hokies never relinquished the lead or allowed a tie after that point . Tech extended its lead to 14 – 0 in the second quarter , but Boston College managed to narrow Tech ' s lead to 14 – 7 by halftime . In the second half , Virginia Tech scored 16 points to the Eagles ' five , and the Hokies won the game , 30 – 12 . In recognition of his game - winning performance , Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor was named the game ' s most valuable player . 2009 . The 2009 ACC Championship Game was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa , Florida , on December 5 , 2009 . Georgia Tech played as the Coastal Division champion , winning the division with a 7 – 1 conference record . Clemson played as the Atlantic Division champion , winning the division with a 6 – 2 record after a 1 – 2 start . Georgia Tech and Clemson had played on September 10 in Atlanta . In that game , Georgia Tech led 24 – 0 before Clemson took the lead late , 27 – 24 . Georgia Tech fought back , winning 30 – 27 with two field goals in the final 5 : 40 . In the days leading up to the game , each team had to fend off criticism about its performance during the regular season . Each team lost its final regular - season game of the year to their respective in - state ( SEC ) rivals , and commentators seized upon the teams ' losing finishes as evidence of their sub - par quality . Clemson seized upon this criticism , using it as motivation in pregame practice . Star Clemson running back C . J . Spiller , who had returned to school for another year in an effort to win the ACC Championship , was predicted to be a prominent performer in the game . On the other side of the field , Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson , who had been named ACC Coach of the Year , was portrayed as a strategist trying to stop Clemson . The game began with a quick start by Clemson : The Tigers needed just seven plays to cover 71 yards and score the game ' s first touchdown . Georgia Tech responded with a field goal , and the Tigers led 7 – 3 after the first quarter . Tech had a 16 – 13 lead at halftime , courtesy of a touchdown and two more field goals . Clemson managed only two field goals . Tech extended its lead in the third quarter , which ended with the Yellow Jackets leading 33 – 20 . In the final quarter , Clemson scored 14 unanswered points , gaining a one - point lead . Georgia Tech received the ball on its 14 - yard line with 6 : 11 remaining , then drove 86 yards in 14 plays to score a go - ahead touchdown . Given the ball with only 1 : 20 left on the clock and no timeouts , Clemson turned the ball over on downs , allowing Georgia Tech to run out the clock and preserve its victory . The final score was 39 – 34 , giving Georgia Tech its first ACC Championship since a shared title in 1998 and its first undisputed conference championship since 1990 . In a losing effort , Clemson ' s Spiller was named the game ' s most valuable player . He carried the ball 20 times for 233 yards and four touchdowns , setting an ACC title - game record for rushing yards . In its final appearance in Tampa , the game sold 57 , 227 tickets and saw a turnstile attendance of 44 , 897 , pleasing conference officials , who feared a repetition of the low attendance the previous year . On July 18 , 2011 , Georgia Tech was forced to vacate the win due to the result of an NCAA investigation . The NCAA announced the game would be considered to have no winner . 2010 . The 2010 ACC Championship Game , played on December 4 , 2010 , was the first played in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte , North Carolina . Because of poor attendance in the Florida sites the Conference moved it to Charlotte , which is more centrally located to the ACC ' s fan base . The match up featured Atlantic Division champion Florida State against Coastal Division champion Virginia Tech . The Hokies , after suffering opening losses to Boise State and FCS James Madison entered the championship game on a 10 game winning streak . They were also the first team to be 8 – 0 in the conference since the 2000 Florida State Seminoles . The Atlantic Division was in more flux . Florida State had suffered losses to both North Carolina State and North Carolina , but NC State lost the final game of the regular season to Maryland leaving FSU with the best record in the division . Despite Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder being forced to sit out the game because of a tear in his elbow fascia , the match up was a high scoring affair . The Seminoles took an early 3 – 0 lead but it was soon erased when Virginia Tech returned an interception for a touchdown . The Seminoles would briefly regain the lead in the first quarter but Virginia Tech responded and did not let go of the lead . The final score was Virginia Tech 44 , Florida State 33 . The win was the Hokies ' fourth conference championship since joining the league in 2004 and third win in the ACC championship game . 2011 . The 2011 ACC Championship Game was played on December 3 , 2011 , at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte , North Carolina between Clemson and Virginia Tech . Clemson won convincingly , by a score of 38 – 10 . It was Clemson ' s first conference title since 1991 and their first Orange Bowl bid since 1981 . This was the most attended ACC Championship to date , most likely due to the fact that Charlotte was conveniently located approximately halfway between Blacksburg and Clemson . The game was balanced in the first half , with a halftime score of 10 – 10 . Clemson split the game open in the second half however , riding on quarterback Tajh Boyd ' s excellent play . He ended up winning the MVP for his 240 yard , 3 touchdown performance . See also . Other Conference Championship Games