The regular season is done and dusted with and now we now know who will face off in the ACC championship game. The undefeated Florida State Seminoles will represent the Atlantic division while the Duke Blue Devils will step forward from the Coastal division.
Both teams are have made it this far by taking very different paths and, while the game starts tied at 0-0, one team has achieved its goals for the season while the other has much bigger aspirations.
Duke have played their socks off all year and ended the season with a 10-2 record, 6-2 for the conference. The Blue Devils started the season 2-2 before going on an eight game winning streak which included wins against Coastal rivals Virginia Tech and Miami – both of which were ranked 14th and 23rd at the time of the encounters.
A stiff away game at North Carolina last Saturday would make or break the Blue Devils’ season but they were not to be denied, and won a fierce contest 27 – 25. Many will say the Blue Devils have overachieved this season and just reaching the championship game has far exceeded their expectations. And that may be true, but now they are here I’m sure they will give it their best shot.
Florida State on the other hand has breezed past every team put before them. Boston College’s 34 points were double that of any other opponent to face the Seminoles. Clemson were dismantled 51-14 while Maryland and Miami were shrugged off to the tune of 104 points. An end of season showdown with Florida was once a mouth-watering prospect but injuries to the Gators meant the ‘Noles just kept on rolling.
Jimbo Fisher and his men have much bigger riches on their mind than the ACC championship and it’s hard to vision a way in which David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils slow down the number one ranked offense in the FBS. Duke has learnt a lot from this season and it will serve as a giant stepping stone towards higher rankings and BCS Bowls. For Florida State, who now hold the No. 1 ranking in the BCS, this game is just a small obstacle in the race to be crowned national champions.