The 2010 ACC Championship Game was a college football game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida State Seminoles. The game, sponsored by Dr. Pepper, was the final regular-season contest of the 2010 college football season for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia Tech defeated Florida State, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship, 44–33. Until 2021, this was the last ACC championship game won by the Coastal Division.
The Virginia Tech Hokies were selected to represent the Coastal Division by virtue of an undefeated (8–0) record in conference play and a 10–2 record overall. Representing the Atlantic Division was Florida State, which had a 9–3 record (6–2 ACC). The game was a rematch of the inaugural ACC Championship Game, won 27–22 by Florida State in 2005.
The game was held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 4, 2010. Charlotte was chosen after poor attendance at the game's previous locations (Tampa, Florida and Jacksonville, Florida) led conference officials to seek a location closer to the conference's geographic center. The 2010 championship was the first to be played in Charlotte, and the game will return to the city in 2011.
The 2010 game began slowly, as Florida State scored only a field goal on its opening possession and Virginia Tech was held scoreless on its first try. On the second play of Florida State's second possession, Virginia Tech defender Jeron Gouveia-Winslow intercepted a pass by Florida state quarterback E. J. Manuel and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Hokies a 7–3 lead. They did not relinquish the advantage the rest of the game. The teams traded field goals and touchdowns through the remainder of the first and second quarters and entered halftime with Tech leading 21–17. In the third quarter, Tech scored 14 points to Florida State's seven, establishing the winning margin. In the final quarter, each team scored nine points, and the Hokies won with the most points ever scored by one team in an ACC championship game. In recognition of his winning performance, Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor was named the game's most valuable player.
By winning, Virginia Tech earned a spot in the 2011 Orange Bowl football game, and Florida State was selected for the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl. Several players that participated in the 2010 ACC Championship Game were picked in the 2011 NFL draft.
Selection process The ACC Championship Game matches the winners of the Coastal and Atlantic divisions of the Atlantic Coast Conference. In the early 2000s, the league underwent an expansion to add three former Big East members: MiamiCandon, Tim. , The Daily Tar Heel, June 26, 2003. Retrieved December 6, 2007. and Virginia Tech in 2004, and Boston College in 2005.Hall, Brendan. , The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, October 24, 2003. Retrieved December 6, 2007. With the addition of a twelfth team, the ACC was allowed to hold a conference championship game under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules.Zeise, Paul. "ACC asks Miami, Va. Tech to join" , The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 25, 2003. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
The inaugural 2005 game featured a Florida State win over Virginia Tech, 27–22.The Atlantic Coast Conference. Inaugural Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game , TheACC.com. Retrieved December 6, 2007. In 2006, two different teams made their first appearances in the game, which was held in Jacksonville, Florida. Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech, 9–6.The Atlantic Coast Conference. "2006 Dr Pepper ACC Championship" , TheACC.com. Retrieved December 6, 2007. 2007 featured one championship-game veteran and one team new to the championship as Virginia Tech faced off against Boston College. The game resulted in a 30–16 Virginia Tech victory.The Associated Press. "Hokies ride Glennon's arm, Taylor's legs to ACC crown" ESPN.com, December 1, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2011. The 2008 game saw a rematch of the previous year, as Virginia Tech again defeated Boston College, 30–12.The Associated Press. "Virginia Tech takes down BC, headed to Orange Bowl again", ESPN.com. December 6, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2008. In 2009, Georgia Tech defeated newcomer Clemson, 39–34.The Associated Press. "Georgia Tech closes out Clemson, claims first BCS berth", ESPN.com. December 5, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
Site selection
Before the 2007 game, cities other than Jacksonville (site of the 2007 ACC Championship Game) presented their plans to be the site of the 2008 ACC Championship Game.Pickeral, Robbi. , ACC Now, The News & Observer, July 24, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2007. After poor attendance in the ACC Championship Game at Jacksonville for the second straight year, ACC officials and representatives of the conference's member schools elected not to extend the Gator Bowl Association's contract to manage and host the game for another year.The Atlantic Coast Conference. "ACC Announces Future Sites for football championship game" , TheACC.com. December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2007. On December 12, less than two weeks after Jacksonville had hosted the 2007 ACC Championship Game, the ACC announced that Tampa, Florida would host the game in 2008 and 2009 and Charlotte, North Carolina would host the game in 2010 and 2011.
The cities were chosen based on bids presented to the ACC and its member schools. Each city requested and was granted a two-year contract. Tampa was chosen as the site of the 2008 game because Charlotte was scheduled to hold the annual convention of the Association for Career and Technical Education at the same time as the game, and adequate hotel space would not be ready in time for the two events. Because of this, Charlotte's two-year span of hosting the game was pushed back to 2010.Quesada, Tony. "ACC title game going to Tampa and Charlotte" , Jacksonville Business Journal, December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
Team selection Before the beginning of the 2010 college football season, the annual poll by media members who cover ACC football predicted Florida State would win the Atlantic Division and Virginia Tech would win the Coastal Division. Florida State received 78 of a possible 98 first-place votes in its division, while Virginia Tech received 62. In a vote to predict the ACC champion, Virginia Tech received 50 votes from 98 possible. Florida State received 26 votes, and all other teams received a combined 20.Dinich, Heather. "Hokies picked to win ACC – again", ESPN.com. July 26, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
Immediately after the preseason poll, however, speculation began as to whether regular-season parity would render the prediction irrelevant. Before the 2010 season, the poll had predicted the ACC winner correctly only once in the championship game era.Dinich, Heather. "Despite media voting, ACC unpredictable", ESPN.com. July 26, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011. In the Coastal Division, this speculation was groundless, as Virginia Tech's undefeated season rendered any other winner impossible. In the Atlantic Division, the situation was much different. As late as the second week of November, four of the six division teams were in contention for the division title.Stevens, Patrick. "All 128 ACC Atlantic Division scenarios in one place" , D1scourse.com. Retrieved February 1, 2011. These candidates were whittled to three with two weeks remaining in the regular season,Stevens, Patrick. "Revised (again) ACC Division scenarios" , D1scourse.com. November 14, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011. then to two in the final week.Dinich, Heather. "Atlantic Division on the line", ESPN.com. November 27, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011. During that week, NC State traveled to Maryland. If NC State had won, it would have been the Atlantic Division winner by virtue of a tie-breaking win against Florida State. Instead, NC State lost 38–31, and Florida State earned a bid to the championship game.The Associated Press. "QB Danny O'Brien's big day helps Terps keep NC State out of ACC title game", ESPN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Hokies entered the 2010 season after a 2009 campaign that saw the team finish 10–3, including a season-ending win in the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers.ESPN.com. "Virginia Tech Hokies Schedule – 2009", ESPN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2011. Because of that season-ending victory and the Hokies' general good performance during the 2009 season, Virginia Tech was ranked No. 10 in preseason national polling.ESPN.com. "2010 NCAA Football Rankings – Preseason", ESPN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2011. The Hokies' first game of the season was a nationally televised contest against then-No. 3 Boise State at FedExField near Washington, D.C. Because the game was the first of the season to feature two top-10 teams, it received large amounts of media coverage.Teel, David. "85,000 expected vs. Boise", The (Newport News, Va.) Daily Press. August 27, 2010. Page B1.Berman, Mark. "Party Crashers?", The Roanoke Times. August 29, 2010. Page CF7.Berman, Mark. "Fans flocking to Va. Tech's season opener", The Roanoke Times. August 29, 2010. Page A1. During the game, Virginia Tech fell behind 17–0 in the first quarter, but rallied to take a 21–20 lead early in the third quarter. The two teams traded the lead, alternating scoring drives until Boise State scored a touchdown with 1:06 remaining. Virginia Tech was unable to reply one final time, and Boise State earned a 33–30 victory.The Associated Press. "Kellen Moore's 3rd TD pass lifts Broncos past Hokies", ESPN.com. September 6, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
The close loss discouraged the Virginia Tech players, who then had only five days to prepare for their next opponent, lightly regarded James Madison University.Dinich, Heather. "Virginia Tech self-destructs in loss to JMU", ESPN.com. September 11, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011. At Lane Stadium, Virginia Tech's home field, James Madison upset the heavily favored Hokies, 21–16.The Associated Press. "Va. Tech suffers 2nd loss in 6 days as James Madison pulls off upset", ESPN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2011. The loss was only the second time in college football history that a team ranked nationally was defeated by a team from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. In the wake of the loss, Virginia Tech fell from No. 13 to out of the polls entirely.ESPN.com. "2010 NCAA Football Rankings – Week 3 (Sept. 12)", ESPN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
Following the loss, seniors on the football team held a players-only meeting in an effort to rally the team. Players later recalled that meeting as the turning point in the team's season.Giannotto, Mark. "Pivotal team meeting changed Hokies' season", The Washington Post. December 4, 2010. Page D1.Dinich, Heather. "Season recap: Virginia Tech", ESPN.com. December 7, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011. The next week, Virginia Tech earned its first win of the season, a 49–27 victory over East Carolina in Lane Stadium.The Associated Press. "Virginia Tech climbs out of 10-point hole despite losing Ryan Williams", ESPN.com. September 18, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011. The Hokies followed that by traveling to Boston College for a 19–0 win, their first shutout since 2006.The Associated Press. "Virginia Tech blanks BC for first shutout since 2006", ESPN.com. September 25, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011.