2008 ACC Championship Game

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Name=2008 ACC Championship Game
Year=2008
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Date=December 6, 2008
Stadium=Raymond James Stadium
City=Tampa, Florida
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The 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game is the culminating regular-season college football game of the 2008 college football season for teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The game is to be held in Tampa, Florida on December 6, 2008. It will include the champions of the Atlantic and Coastal divisions of the ACC in a contest to determine the conference champion. The winner of the game will be awarded an automatic bid to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) 2009 Orange Bowl game at Dolphins Stadium. Tampa was chosen as the site for the game after poor attendance during the two previous ACC Championship games led ACC officials to seek a new site for the game. The last two year's games were held in Jacksonville, Florida.

Selection process

The ACC Championship Game matches up the winner of the Coastal and Atlantic Divisions of the Atlantic Coast Conference. First played in 2005, the game was created as a result of the league's 2004 expansion, which added former Big East members Miami, [ [http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2003/06/26/Sports/Acc-Invites.Miami.Va.Tech-1354314.shtml ACC invites Miami, Va. Tech] Tim Candon, "The Daily Tar Heel", June 26, 2003. Accessed December 6, 2007.] Virginia Tech, [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2003-06-27-acc-expansion_x.htm Virginia Tech sealing move to ACC] Staff and Wire Reports, "USA Today", June 23, 2003. Accessed December 8, 2007.] and (in 2005) Boston College. [ [http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper874/news/2003/10/24/Sports/Eagles.Move.Just.Another.BcsWindle-1554332.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailycollegian.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com Eagles' move just another BCS-windle] Brendan Hall, The "Massachusetts Daily Collegian", October 24, 2003. Accessed December 6, 2007.] With the addition of Boston College, the ACC consisted of twelve teams, allowing it to hold a conference championship game under NCAA rules. [ [http://www.centralohio.com/ohiostate/stories/20030708/football/611709.html ACC expansion doesn't concern members of SEC] Tim Vacek, Gannett News Service, July 8, 2003. Accessed December 6, 2007.]

The 2005 game featured a Florida State win over Virginia Tech, 27–22. [ [http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/05-m-footbl-championship.html Inaugural Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game] The Atlantic Coast Conference. Accessed December 6, 2007.] In 2006, two new teams traveled to the game, which was held in Jacksonville, Florida. Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech, 9–6. [ [http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/06-m-footbl-championship.html 2006 Dr Pepper ACC Championship] The Atlantic Coast Conference. Accessed December 6, 2007.] In 2007, one new team and one old team featured in the contest as Virginia Tech faced off against Boston College. A hard-fought game resulted in a 30-16 Virginia Tech victory. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/playbyplay?gameId=273350103&period=4 4th Qtr Play-by-Play] ESPN.com, December 1, 2007. Accessed December 10, 2007.]

Site selection

Before Virginia Tech was declared the 2007 ACC football champion, cities other than Jacksonville (site of the 2007 ACC Championship Game) presented their plans to be the site of the 2008 ACC Championship Game. [ [http://blogsarchive.newsobserver.com/accnow/index.php?title=four_cities_bidding_for_acc_championship&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 Four cities bidding for ACC championship game] Robbi Pickeral, ACC Now, "The News & Observer", July 24, 2007. Accessed 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 host the game for another year. [http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121207aaa.html ACC Announces Future Sites for Football Championship Game] The Atlantic Coast Conference, December 12, 2007. Accessed 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, locking the ACC into the locations well in advance of the actual games. 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. [ [http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2007/12/10/daily20.html ACC title game going to Tampa and Charlotte] Tony Quesada, "Jacksonville Business Journal", December 12, 2007. Accessed December 12, 2007.]

Team selection

Prior to the beginning of the 2008 college football season, the annual poll of members of the media who cover ACC football resulted in Clemson being predicted to win the Atlantic Division and Virginia Tech to win the Coastal Division. Both teams were predicted to play in that season's ACC football championship game. Clemson received 59 of a possible 65 first-place votes in the division, while Virginia Tech received 58. [ [http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/072108aae.html 2008 ACC Football Preseason Selections] The Atlantic Coast Conference, TheACC.com. July 21, 2008. Accessed July 23, 2008.]

See also

*List of Atlantic Coast Conference football champions

Other Conference Championship Games
*2008 SEC Championship Game
*2008 Big 12 Championship Game
*WAC Championship Game
*MAC Championship Game
*Conference USA Championship Game

Notes

External links

* [http://www.theroadtotampabay.com/ Official website of the 2008 ACC Championship Game]