release

After last week’s miserable performance, the Seminoles can tonight salvage a rough season and get a bid to a BCS bowl by beating Virginia Tech to win ACC Championship.

When FSU joined the ACC, it was primarily a basketball conference. The original teams, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Maryland, Clemson, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech, had basketball championships to the rafters but few notable football successes. Florida State came to the party and has won or shared 11 conference football championships since. It has made its mark on the conference in other ways, as well.

Two national championships during that time have brought national attention to the ACC. Every school’s recruiting has benefitted from the increased national TV exposure. Two current head coaches, Tommy Bowden for Clemson and Chuck Amato for NC State, have served as assistant coaches for FSU’s paterfamilias, Bobby Bowden. FSU’s success has bred success at almost every program in the conference - even Maryland took a share of the ACC crown recently.

Within the last two years, the ACC’s transformation has become complete. The addition of perennial powerhouse Miami and strong contenders Boston College and Virginia Tech, make the ACC a serious threat for the national championship every year. The ACC’s teams always represent themsevles well among the country’s top-ranked colleges.

The ACC Chamionship, then, is worth playing for, and worth winning. It is a prize of substantial value. Even so, givent he choice I’d rather beat Florida than win the ACC.