The college football bowl season is not over. But already the performance of one conference has made it clear the designation of a 'Power Four' in college football has earned the ACC a RIP status. The 'Power Four' of the SEC, the Big Ten, the ACC, and the Big 12 is dead. It was killed by the pathetic performance of ACC teams in the 2024 post-season.
A distracted contingent of college football fans and media pundits need to refocus. This week's biggest story is not that Navy beat Oklahoma, which had dominated the Alabama Crimson Tide in the regular season. The biggest story is the ACC is 1-9 in post-season play, and the single win did not come against a Power Four team. Syracuse beat Washington State 52-35 in the Holiday Bowl. So far ACC teams have lost every other game.
ACC Post-Season Losses through Dec. 28
- LA Bowl - UNLV Rebels 24 - California Golden Bears 13
- GameAbove Sports Bowl - Toledo Rockets 48 - Pittsburgh Panthers 46
- Birmingham Bowl - Vanderbilt Commodores 35 - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 27
- Fenway Bowl - UConn Huskies 27 - North Carolina Tar Heels 14
- Pinstripe Bowl - Nebraska Cornhuskers - Boston College Eagles 15
- Pop-Tarts Bowl - Iowa State Cyclones 42 - Miami Hurricanes 41
- Military Bowl - East Carolina Pirates 26 - North Carolina State Wolfpack 21
- CFP First Round - Penn State Nittany Lions 38 - SMU Mustangs 10
- CFP First Round - Texas Longhorns 38 - Clemson Tigers 24
The ACC season must stumble through three more games with the Louisville Cardinals taking on the Washington Huskies in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31; the Duke Blue Devils facing Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2; and the Virginia Tech Hokies battling the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Jan. 3. If the ACC wins all three remaining bowl games, which is not likely, the ACC would finish the post-season at 4-9. That record is not worthy of 'Power' status. The AAC would have as good a claim of Power status as the ACC. We can debate if there is a Power Three, but the Big 12 has a weak claim. College football has a Power Two, and everybody else chases them.
Note: Game results provided by Yahoo Sports