Atlantic Coast Conference Football Rivalries

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is home to some of the most passionate and historic rivalries in college football. Founded in 1953, the ACC has cultivated fierce competition among its member schools, often shaped by geographic proximity, shared traditions, and championship ambitions. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States, established in 1953. It consists of 15 member schools primarily located along the East Coast.

Some of the most notable rivalries include the Florida State vs. Miami rivalry, known for its historic matchups and championship implications, and the Clemson vs. South Carolina rivalry, a fierce in-state battle known as the "Palmetto Bowl."

Atlantic Coast Conference Football Rivalries

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is home to some of the most intense and historic football rivalries in college sports. Within the conference, intra-conference rivalries like the Florida State vs. Miami showdown are known for their high stakes and thrilling matchups, often impacting the race for the ACC championship. The Clemson vs. South Carolina rivalry, also known as the "Palmetto Bowl," is another fierce competition that captivates fans annually.

In addition to intra-conference rivalries, the ACC also features several notable inter-conference rivalries. For instance, the Notre Dame vs. USC rivalry, while not played annually, is a significant matchup when it occurs, drawing national attention. Another prominent interconference rivalry is Clemson vs. Georgia, a game that highlights the competitive spirit between the ACC and the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Boston College

Boston College includes several notable football rivalries: the Boston College–Clemson football rivalry for the O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy, where the series leader is Clemson; the Boston College–Pittsburgh football rivalry, where the series leader is Boston College; and the Boston College–Syracuse football rivalry, where the series leader is Boston College. Additionally, the Boston College–Virginia Tech football rivalry is where the series leader is Boston College.

California

California has historic football rivalries with SMU and Stanford. The California–SMU football rivalry is where the series leader is SMU. The rivalry against Stanford, known as the Big Game, is played for the Stanford Axe and the series leader is Stanford.

Clemson

Clemson features several intense rivalries, including those with Boston College, Florida State, and Georgia Tech. The Boston College–Clemson football rivalry for the O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy. The Clemson–Florida State football rivalry is where the series leader is Clemson, and the Clemson–Georgia Tech football rivalry is also where the series leader is Clemson. The Textile Bowl is a rivalry series for the Textile Bowl trophy against NC State where the series leader is Clemson with 60 wins as of 2024.

Duke

Duke's football rivalries are with North Carolina, NC State, and Wake Forest. The Duke–North Carolina football rivalry for the Victory Bell trophy has seen 107 matchups with North Carolina leading the series. The rivalry with NC State, part of the Tobacco Road rivalry, is where the series leader is Duke. Duke's rivalry with Wake Forest, another Tobacco Road rivalry, is where the series leader is Duke.

Florida State

Florida State has rivalries with Clemson, Miami, and Virginia. The Clemson–Florida State football rivalry is where the series leader is Clemson. The Florida State–Miami football rivalry for the Florida Cup is where the series leader is Miami. The Florida State–Virginia football rivalry for the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy is where the series leader is Florida State.

Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech's football rivalries include those with Clemson and Virginia Tech. The Clemson–Georgia Tech football rivalry is where the series leader is Clemson with the lead of 50 wins, as of 2024. The Georgia Tech–Virginia Tech football rivalry is where the series leader is Virginia Tech.

Louisville

Louisville's significant football rivalry is with Miami. The Louisville–Miami football rivalry for the Schnellenberger Trophy.

Miami

Miami's football rivalries are with Florida State, Louisville, and Virginia Tech. The Florida State–Miami football rivalry for the Florida Cup is where the series leader is Miami. The Louisville–Miami football rivalry for the Schnellenberger Trophy. The Miami–Virginia Tech football rivalry is where the series leader is Miami, with 25 wins, as of 2024.

North Carolina

North Carolina's football rivalries include Duke, NC State, and Virginia. The Duke–North Carolina football rivalry for the Victory Bell is where the series leader is North Carolina. The rivalry with NC State is where the series leader is North Carolina. The South's Oldest Rivalry with Virginia is where the series leader is North Carolina. The North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry is also where the series leader is North Carolina. Overall, North Carolina leads the rivalry series with the teams.

NC State

NC State's notable rivalries include those with Clemson, Duke, and Wake Forest. The Clemson against NC State is where the series leader is Clemson and the rivalry is known as Textile Bowl. The rivalry with Duke, part of the Tobacco Road rivalry, is where the series leader is Duke. The NC State–Wake Forest rivalry is where the series leader is NC State.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh's key football rivalries are with Boston College and Syracuse. The Boston College–Pittsburgh football rivalry is where the series leader is Boston College. The Pittsburgh–Syracuse football rivalry is where the series leader is Pittsburgh.

SMU

SMU's football rivalries include those with California and Stanford. The California–SMU football rivalry is where the series leader is SMU. The SMU–Stanford football rivalry is where the series leader is Stanford.

Stanford

Stanford's significant football rivalries include those with California and SMU. The Stanford against California for the Stanford Axe is where the series leader is Stanford and the rivalry is also known as the Big Game. The SMU–Stanford football rivalry is where the series leader is Stanford.

Syracuse

Syracuse's key football rivalries are with Boston College and Pittsburgh. The Boston College–Syracuse football rivalry is where the series leader is Boston College. The Pittsburgh–Syracuse football rivalry is where the series leader is Pittsburgh.

Virginia

Virginia's notable football rivalries are with Florida State, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. The Florida State–Virginia football rivalry for the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy is where the series leader is Florida State with 15 overall wins in the series. The South's Oldest Rivalry with North Carolina is where the series leader is North Carolina. The Virginia rivalry with Virginia Tech for the Commonwealth Cup is where the series leader is Virginia Tech, and the rivalry is also known as the Commonwealth Clash.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech's key football rivalries include those with Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Miami. The Boston College–Virginia Tech football rivalry is where the series leader is Boston College.

The Georgia Tech–Virginia Tech football rivalry is where the series leader is Virginia Tech. The Miami–Virginia Tech football rivalry is where the series leader is Miami.

Wake Forest

Wake Forest's notable football rivalries include those with Duke, North Carolina, and NC State. The Tobacco Road rivalry with Duke is where the series leader is Duke with 59 wins. The North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry is where the series leader is North Carolina with 72 wins against the 36 wins of Wake Forest. The NC State–Wake Forest rivalry is where the series leader is NC State.

Table of ACC Conference Rivalries

Teams		Rivalry name	Trophy	Meetings	Record	Series leader
Boston College	Clemson	Boston College–Clemson football rivalry	O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy	31	21–9–2	Clemson
	Pittsburgh	Boston College–Pittsburgh football rivalry	None	33	18–15	Pittsburgh
	Syracuse	Boston College–Syracuse football rivalry		57	34–23	Syracuse
	Virginia Tech	Boston College–Virginia Tech football rivalry		32	21–11	Virginia Tech
California	SMU	California–SMU football rivalry		1	0–1	SMU
	Stanford	Big Game	Stanford Axe	126	65–50–11	Stanford
Clemson	Boston College	Boston College–Clemson football rivalry	O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy	31	21–9–2	Clemson
	Florida State	Clemson–Florida State football rivalry	None	36	21–15	Florida State
	Georgia Tech	Clemson–Georgia Tech football rivalry		89	50–36–2	Georgia Tech
	NC State	Textile Bowl	Textile Bowl	91	60–30–1	Clemson
Duke	North Carolina	Duke-North Carolina football rivalry	Victory Bell	107	65–38–4	North Carolina
	NC State	Tobacco Road	None	84	42–37–5	Duke
	Wake Forest	Tobacco Road		101	59–40–2	Duke
Florida State	Clemson	Clemson–Florida State football rivalry		36	21–15	Florida State
	Miami	Florida State–Miami football rivalry	Florida Cup	68	35–33	Miami
	Virginia	Florida State-Virginia football rivalry	Jefferson-Eppes Trophy	19	15–4	Florida State
Georgia Tech	Clemson	Clemson–Georgia Tech football rivalry	None	88	50–36–2	Georgia Tech
	Virginia Tech	Georgia Tech–Virginia Tech football rivalry		19	11–8	Virginia Tech
Louisville	Miami	Louisville–Miami football rivalry	Schnellenberger Trophy	16	11–4–1	Miami
Miami	Florida State	Florida State–Miami football rivalry	Florida Cup	68	35–33	Miami
	Louisville	Louisville–Miami football rivalry	Schnellenberger Trophy	16	11–4–1	Miami
	Virginia Tech	Miami–Virginia Tech football rivalry	None	40	25–15	Miami
North Carolina	Duke	Duke–North Carolina football rivalry	Victory Bell	107	65–38–4	North Carolina
	NC State	North Carolina–NC State football rivalry	None	113	68–39–6	North Carolina
	Virginia	South's Oldest Rivalry		128	65–60–4	North Carolina
	Wake Forest	North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry		110	72–36–2	North Carolina
NC State	Clemson	Textile Bowl	Textile Bowl	91	60–30–1	Clemson
	Duke	Tobacco Road	None	84	37–42–5	Duke
	North Carolina	North Carolina–NC State football rivalry		113	68–39–6	North Carolina
	Wake Forest	NC State–Wake Forest rivalry		117	69–42–6	NC State
Pittsburgh	Boston College	Boston College-Pittsburgh football rivalry		33	18–15	Pittsburgh
	Syracuse	Pittsburgh–Syracuse football rivalry		79	43–33–3	Pittsburgh
SMU	California	California–SMU football rivalry		1	1–0	SMU
	Stanford	SMU–Stanford football rivalry		1	0–1	Stanford
Stanford	California	Big Game	Stanford Axe	126	65–50–11	Stanford
	SMU	SMU–Stanford football rivalry	None	1	1–0	Stanford
Syracuse	Boston College	Boston College–Syracuse football rivalry		57	34–23	Syracuse
	Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh–Syracuse football rivalry		79	43–33–3	Pittsburgh
Virginia	Florida State	Florida State-Virginia football rivalry	Jefferson-Eppes Trophy	19	15–4	Florida State
	North Carolina	South's Oldest Rivalry	None	128	65–60–4	North Carolina
	Virginia Tech	Commonwealth Clash	Commonwealth Cup	104	61–38–5	Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech	Boston College	Boston College–Virginia Tech football rivalry	None	32	21–11	Virginia Tech
	Georgia Tech	Georgia Tech–Virginia Tech football rivalry		19	11–8	Virginia Tech
	Miami	Miami–Virginia Tech football rivalry		40	25–15	Miami
	Virginia	Commonwealth Clash	Commonwealth Cup	104	61–38–5	Virginia Tech
Wake Forest	Duke	Tobacco Road	None	101	59–40–2	Duke
	North Carolina	North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry		110	72–36–2	North Carolina
	NC State	NC State–Wake Forest rivalry		117	69–42–6	NC State