ACC: 5 things we learned -- Week 13

Miami RB Duke Johnson ran for 176 yards and three touchdowns against Duke on Saturday. (US Presswire)

Here are five things we learned on the final regular season Saturday of ACC football:

1. Even the top of the ACC is not ready to run with the SEC. Yes, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech were blown out by Vanderbilt and Georgia, respectively, but that was expected. Florida State and Clemson were the ones that were supposed to carry the ACC banner this weekend. Both teams were home favorites against their in-state rivals, but they suffered double-digit defeats. This past weekend went about as poorly as it could have gone for the conference, and it has the Seminoles and Tigers to thank.

2. NC State coach Tom O'Brien and Boston College coach Frank Spaziani have coached their final games at their respective schools. It seems fitting that O'Brien and Spaziani faced off against one another in their final games, considering the history between them. O'Brien and Spaziani were on the same staffs at Navy and Virginia, and Spaziani coached under O'Brien at Boston College. Now, both are unemployed. The Eagles were heading in the wrong direction and had to make a change. The Wolfpack, on the other hand, had moderate success under O'Brien.

3. Virginia Tech is eligible to play in a bowl for the 20th consecutive season. The Hokies made it to bowl eligibility but just barely. Virginia Tech took advantage of some second-half miscues to beat Virginia for the ninth straight year and salvage something in a down year. Though the Hokies are heading back to a bowl, it will be interesting to see if coach Frank Beamer shakes up his staff after a subpar season.

4. Wake Forest will not make a bowl game for the third time in four years. The Demon Deacons made it to a bowl three straight years under coach Jim Grobe from 2006-08. Since then, Wake Forest has made just one postseason appearance and has finished under .500 for four straight seasons. Over that span, Wake Forest is 19-30. Grobe did the unthinkable in Winston-Salem, delivering an ACC title in 2006, but the Demon Deacons have returned to their status as a middle-of-the-road ACC program.

5. Miami RB Duke Johnson and Maryland WR Stefon Diggs ended their seasons in style. Johnson ran for 176 yards and three touchdowns against Duke, and Diggs returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass at North Carolina. It's a shame Johnson and Diggs won't get to showcase their talents at a bowl game. Both players more than lived up to their preseason hype. Diggs and Johnson finished second and third, respectively, in the ACC in all-purpose yardage.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.