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ACC | Getting familiar with the Atlantic Coast Conference

Published: Monday, September 19, 2011

Updated: Thursday, September 22, 2011 03:09


Editor's note: With Syracuse's move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, many of the Orange's traditional rivalries will cease to exist. Games against Georgetown and Villanova will become very rare, if they take place at all. During the course of the next three days, The Daily Orange Sports staff will be publishing summaries of each of the 12 ACC schools prior to the addition of SU and Pittsburgh.

Clemson

Joined ACC: May 8, 1953

Strengths: football, track and field, golf, baseball

Weaknesses: men's soccer

 

The Tigers were one of the seven charter members of the Atlantic Coast Conference when it was created in 1953. Clemson football hasn't won the title since 1991. The Tigers also won the 1981 national championship. Clemson Memorial Stadium, which has become known as Death Valley, has become one of the top atmospheres in college football.

Clemson has also boasted multiple track and field national champions in the last decade. The track and field program has also captured 10 Olympic medals.

The baseball team is among the best in the country and has been to the College World Series 12 times. The men's golf team captured the 2003 national title and finished second in the country in 1998 and 2001.

The basketball team has been to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons, but it lost in the Round of 64 in all four appearances. Before that, the Tigers hadn't been to the tournament since 1998.

 

Florida State

Joined ACC: July 1, 1991

Strengths: football, baseball, softball

Weaknesses: none

 

Before Florida State joined the ACC, the football program was independent. Its other programs competed in the Metro Conference until it became the ninth member of the ACC.

FSU boasts a proud history in college football under legendary head coach Bobby Bowden, who started more than a decade before the program moved to the ACC. In Bowden's 34 years, FSU finished in the Top 5 of the AP Poll 14 straight times and won two national championships.

The Seminoles' baseball program has been to 20 College World Series but has yet to win the title. FSU has won at least 43 games every season since 1978 and has never had a losing season in its history.

FSU has also has a rich history on the softball diamond. JoAnne Graf, the Seminoles head coach from 1979 to 2008, retired as the winningest coach in NCAA history. Her teams won 1,437 games and went to the Women's College World Series seven times.

 

Georgia Tech

Joined ACC: April 3, 1978

Strengths: football, women's tennis

Weaknesses: basketball

 

Georgia Tech left the Metro Conference well before Florida State to become the eighth member of the ACC.

The Yellow Jackets enjoyed success on the gridiron from 1995 to 2001 under George O'Leary and have been consistent since he left. Now, running Paul Johnson's option attack, Georgia Tech has been a top program in the conference. The team won the 2009 ACC title outright for the first time since 1990* and has been to a bowl game in 14 straight seasons.

The women's tennis team won the 2007 national championship — the first NCAA title in any sport for Georgia Tech. The program also won three straight ACC regular season and tournament titles from 2005-07 and the regular season title in 2008.

The men's basketball program has had flashes of greatness, but it hasn't been a consistent winner. The Yellow Jackets have been to the NCAA Tournament four times in the last decade. Georgia Tech only advanced past the second round once in that time when it made it all the way to the 2004 national championship game and lost to Connecticut 82-73. Despite this success, the program is not on the same level as conference powers North Carolina and Duke.

*The 2009 title was later vacated

 

Miami

Joined ACC: July 1, 2004

Strengths: football, baseball, women's tennis

Weaknesses: basketball

Miami came to the ACC from the Big East with Virginia Tech.

Miami has been a college football powerhouse since Howard Schnellenberger arrived in 1979. The Hurricanes have won five national championships since 1983 and produced 67 NFL players since 1999. Andre Johnson, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are just a few former Hurricanes who have gone on to have Pro Bowl careers. From 2000-02, Miami won 34 straight games, the sixth-longest streak in college football history at the time.

The program is currently trying to regain that lofty status under first-year head coach Al Golden. But it is also dealing with allegations that a booster provided players with benefits ranging from money to luxury nights on the town from 2002-10.

The baseball program has also been a consistent national power. The Hurricanes have won four national championships and hold the NCAA record for consecutive postseason appearances with 39.

The basketball program, on the other hand, has been to just one NCAA Tournament in the last seven seasons. New head coach Jim Larranaga is looking to change that trend as he takes over. Larranaga led George Mason's Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2006.

Duke

Joined ACC: May 8, 1953

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