2021 Atlantic Coast Conference football season
The 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference football season, part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season, was the 69th season of college football play for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). It began on September 2, 2021, and ended on December 31, 2021. The ACC consists of 14 members in two divisions. The entire 2021 schedule was released on January 28, 2021. Previous season. Clemson defeated Notre Dame 34–10 in the ACC Football Championship Game. The victory, along with a 10–1 regular season record, earned Clemson a berth in the College Football Playoff. The  Tigers were the number two seed in the playoff and faced Ohio State in the 2021 Sugar Bowl, where the Tigers lost 28–49. Preseason. ACC Kickoff. The 2021 ACC Kickoff was held on July 21 and 22nd at the Westin hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. Each team had their head coach and three players available to talk to the media at the event. Coverage of the event was televised on ACC Network. On July 26, 2021, the ACC Preseason Media Poll was released, which projected Clemson to win its 7th consecutive ACC title. Preseason ACC Player of the Year. Source : Preseason All-Conference Teams. Source: Coaches. Coaching changes. There are no coaching changes for the 2021 season. Head coaching records. "Notes" Schedule. The regular season will begin on September 2 and will end on November 27. The ACC Championship game is scheduled for December 4, 2021. Regular season. Week ten. The game between North Carolina and Wake Forest is being played as a non-conference game and will therefore not count in the conference standings. ACC vs other conferences. ACC vs Power Five matchups. The following games include ACC teams competing against Power Five conferences teams from the Big Ten , Big 12, BYU/Notre Dame, Pac-12 and SEC). All rankings are from the AP Poll at the time of the game. ACC vs Group of Five matchups. The following games include ACC teams competing against teams from the American, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West or Sun Belt. ACC vs FBS independents matchups. The following games include ACC teams competing against FBS Independents, which includes Army, Liberty, New Mexico State, UConn or UMass. ACC vs FCS matchups. The Football Championship Subdivision comprises 13 conferences and two independent programs. Records against other conferences. Regular Season Post Season Postseason. Bowl games. For the  2020–2025 bowl cycle, The ACC will have annually ten appearances in the following bowls: Orange Bowl and Peach Bowl (unless they are selected for playoffs filled by a SEC and at-large team if champion is in the playoffs), Military Bowl, Duke's Mayo Bowl, Gator Bowl, Cheez-It Bowl, Fenway Bowl, Outback Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Sun Bowl. The ACC teams will go to a New Year's Six bowl if a team finishes higher than the champions of Power Five conferences in the final College Football Playoff rankings. The ACC champion are also eligible for the College Football  Playoff if they're among the top four teams in the final CFP ranking. The Gator Bowl opponent for Wake Forest was originally scheduled to be Texas A&M. Due to COVID-19 issues with Texas A&M, they were replaced with Rutgers. The Sun Bowl originally scheduled Miami to face Washington, but Miami had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues. The Military Bowl originally scheduled Boston College to face East Carolina, but Boston College had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues. The Fenway Bowl originally scheduled Virginia to face SMU, but Virginia had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues. Awards and honors . All Conference Teams. Source: First Team Second Team Third Team ACC individual awards. ACC Player of the Year ACC Rookie of the Year ACC Coach of the Year ACC Offensive Player of the Year ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Jacobs Blocking Trophy ACC Defensive Player of the Year ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year All-Americans. Consensus All-Americans. Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. Players are  chosen against other players playing at their position only. To be selected a consensus All-American, players must be chosen to the first team on at least half of the five official selectors as recognized by the NCAA. Second- and third-team honors are used to break ties. Players named first-team by all five selectors are deemed unanimous All-Americans. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, "TSN", and the WCFF to determine consensus and unanimous All-Americans. Home game attendance. Bold – Exceeded capacity †Season High