ACC: Ranking the bowl matchups
The ACC has six teams playing in bowls, its fewest since 2004, when the league had 11 teams.
Here is how we rank the bowl games involving ACC teams:
1. Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta: No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 9 LSU, Dec. 31, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) -- Every year, the Chick-fil-A Bowl is home to one of the better non-BCS bowls, and that is no different this year. Clemson put up a season-low 17 points its last time out against South Carolina and will get another crack against an SEC defense. LSU is No. 11 nationally in scoring defense, giving up 16.9 points per game.
2. Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas: Georgia Tech vs. Southern Cal, Dec. 31, 2 p.m. ET (CBS) -- Southern Cal was the preseason No. 1 team in the country, but will spend New Year's Eve in El Paso, Texas playing against a team with a losing record. The Yellow Jackets could face QB Matt Barkley, who would be playing his final college game.
3. Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla.: No. 13 Florida State vs. No. 16 Northern Illinois, Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) -- The inclusion of Northern Illinois in the BCS received a lot of criticism, but the Huskies have put up at least 415 yards in 12 of their 13 games. The lone exception was in an 18-17 loss to Iowa at the beginning of the year when Northern Illinois managed just 201 total yards. Florida State is looking for its first BCS bowl win since beating Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4, 2000.
4. Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando, Fla.: Virginia Tech vs. Rutgers, Dec. 28, 5:30 p.m ET (ESPN) -- Virginia Tech is playing in its 20th consecutive bowl game under coach Frank Beamer, but the Hokies have lost six of their last nine bowl games. Now, Virginia Tech will face Rutgers for the first time since 2003 when both schools were members of the Big East. The Hokies have won 11 in a row in the series, last losing in 1992.
5. Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C.: Duke vs. Cincinnati, Dec. 27, 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) -- Duke is going bowling for the first time since 1994, but the Blue Devils are struggling heading into the postseason. Duke has lost four in a row and five of its last six. Four of Duke's five losses have come by at least 18 points. Conversely, Cincinnati is 9-3 and has won four of its last five.
6. Music City in Nashville, Tenn.: NC State vs. Vanderbilt, Dec. 31, noon ET (ESPN) -- The Wolfpack fired their coach after the season, and the Commodores gave their coach an extension. NC State begins life after Tom O'Brien playing its fourth bowl game in five years. The Wolfpack are facing a Vanderbilt team that has won six in a row, but none of those wins came against a team with a winning record.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC.
