| 2011 ACC football season | |
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| League: | NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision |
| Sport: | Football |
| Pixels: | 150px |
| Duration: | September 1, 2011 - January 4, 2012 |
| No Of Teams: | 12 |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Season Champ: | Clemson |
| Mvp: | David Wilson |
| Conf1: | Atlantic |
| Conf1 Link: | ACC Atlantic Division |
| Conf2: | Coastal |
| Conf2 Link: | ACC Coastal Division |
| Conf2 Champ: | Virginia Tech Hokies |
| Finals: | ACC Championship Game |
| Finals Link: | 2011 ACC Championship Game |
| Finals Champ: | Clemson Tigers |
| Seasonslist: | List of ACC football seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | ACC |
| Prevseason Link: | 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference football season |
| Prevseason Year: | 2010 |
| Nextseason Link: | 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference football season |
| Nextseason Year: | 2012 |
The 2011 ACC football season is an NCAA football season that will be played from September 1, 2011, to January 4, 2012. The Atlantic Coast Conference consists of 12 members in two divisions. The Atlantic division consists of Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina State and Wake Forest. The Coastal division consists of Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. The division champions will meet on December 3[1] in the 2011 ACC Championship Game, located in Charlotte, North Carolina at Bank of America Stadium.
The 2011 ACC Preseason Poll was announced at the ACC Football Kickoff meetings in Pinehurst, North Carolina on July 25. Virginia Tech was voted to win Coastal division while Florida State was voted to win the Atlantic division and the conference. Montel Harris of Boston College was voted the Preseason ACC Player of the Year.[2]
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Wide receiver | Conner Vernon | Duke |
| Dwight Jones | North Carolina | |
| Tight end | George Bryan | NC State |
| Tackle | Blake DeChristopher | Virginia Tech |
| Andrew Datko | Florida State | |
| Guard | Brandon Washington | Miami |
| Omoregie Uzzi | Georgia Tech | |
| Center | Tyler Horn | Miami |
| Quarterback | EJ Manuel | Florida State |
| Running back | Montel Harris | Boston College |
| Andre Ellington | Clemson | |
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | Brandon Jenkins | Florida State |
| Quinton Coples | North Carolina | |
| Defensive tackle | Tydreke Powell | North Carolina |
| Brandon Thompson | Clemson | |
| Linebacker | Luke Kuechly | Boston College |
| Sean Spence | Miami | |
| Kenny Tate | Maryland | |
| Cornerback | Chase Minnifield | Virginia |
| Jayron Hosley | Virginia Tech | |
| Safety | Ray-Ray Armstrong | Miami |
| Eddie Whitley | Virginia Tech | |
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Placekicker | Will Snyderwine | Duke |
| Punter | Dawson Zimmerman | Clemson |
| Specialist | Greg Reid | Florida State |
During the offseason, two ACC schools, Maryland and Miami, hired new head coaches. Maryland bought out the last year of 10 year coach, Ralph Friedgen's contract.[4] They hired Randy Edsall who had been the head coach at UConn for 12 years. Miami fired their head coach of 4 years, Randy Shannon, at the conclusion of the Hurricanes' regular season. They in turn hired coach Al Golden, who was the 5 year head coach of Temple. In an unexpected turn of events, on July 27, 2011, UNC chancellor Holden Thorp announced that UNC's board of trustees decided to dismiss Butch Davis as the head coach of the football team.[5] The announcement came a week before the start of fall training camp. The firing was cited as being due to the investigations by the NCAA into academic fraud, impermissible benefits, and talking to agents in the 2010 season. The next day on the 28th, Everett Withers, the defensive coordinator of the past 3 years, was named as the interim head coach.[6]
NOTE: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | ACC record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | Frank Spaziani | 4 | 16–11 | 16–11 | 9–7 | |
| Clemson | Dabo Swinney | 4 | 19–15 | 19–15 | 13–8 | |
| Duke | David Cutcliffe | 4 | 56–53 | 12–24 | 5–19 | |
| Florida State | Jimbo Fisher | 2 | 10–4 | 10–4 | 6–2 | |
| Georgia Tech | Paul Johnson | 4 | 133–52 | 25–15 | 16–8 | |
| Maryland | Randy Edsall | 1 | 74–70 | 0–0 | 0–0 | |
| Miami | Al Golden | 1 | 27–34 | 0–0 | 0–0 | |
| North Carolina | Everett Withers | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | |
| NC State | Tom O'Brien | 5 | 100–70 | 25–25 | 14–18 | |
| Virginia | Mike London | 2 | 28–13 | 4–8 | 1–7 | |
| Virginia Tech | Frank Beamer | 25 | 240–118–4 | 198–95–2 | 46–10 | |
| Wake Forest | Jim Grobe | 10 | 100–96–1 | 67–63 | 34–51 |
The Atlantic Coast Conference had a losing season vs. BCS opponents in 2011 with a record of 8 wins and 13 losses. In rivalry games vs. BCS opponents the ACC went 1-4 with the only win coming from the Florida State Seminoles over the Florida Gators. The ACC also had three teams play Notre Dame in 2011 and recorded a 0-3 record against the Fighting Irish.
NOTE:. Games with a * next to the home team represent a neutral site game
| Date | Visitor | Home | Significance | Winning Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | Wake Forest | Syracuse | Syracuse | |
| September 3 | Northwestern | Boston College | Northwestern | |
| September 10 | Rutgers | North Carolina | North Carolina | |
| Stanford | Duke | Stanford | ||
| Virginia | Indiana | Virginia | ||
| September 17 | Oklahoma | Florida State | Oklahoma | |
| Ohio State | Miami | Miami | ||
| West Virginia | Maryland | Maryland–West Virginia football rivalry | West Virginia | |
| Auburn | Clemson | Auburn–Clemson football rivalry | Clemson | |
| Kansas | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech | ||
| September 22 | NC State | Cincinnati | Cincinnati | |
| September 24 | Kansas State | Miami | Kansas State | |
| October 8 | Louisville | North Carolina | North Carolina | |
| November 5 | Notre Dame | Wake Forest | Notre Dame | |
| November 12 | Maryland | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | |
| November 19 | Miami | South Florida | Miami | |
| Boston College | Notre Dame | Holy War | Notre Dame | |
| November 26 | Florida State | Florida | Florida–Florida State football rivalry | Florida State |
| Georgia | Georgia Tech | Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate | Georgia | |
| Clemson | South Carolina | Battle of the Palmetto State | South Carolina | |
| Vanderbilt | Wake Forest | Vanderbilt |
See also: 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.
| Improvement in ranking | ||
| Drop in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| align=center style="width:20px; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; background:white;" | RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol | |
| Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | AP | ||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||
| BCS | Not released | ||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | AP | RV | 21 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 21 | 14 | 22 | ||
| C | RV | RV | RV | 22 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 17 | 21 | 14 | 22 | |
| BCS | Not released | 7 | 5 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 20 | 15 | ||||||||
| Duke | AP | ||||||||||||||||
| C | RV | ||||||||||||||||
| BCS | Not released | ||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | AP | 6 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 23 | RV | RV | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 | ||||
| C | 5 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 22 | RV | RV | 22 | RV | 24 | 25 | 23 | ||||
| BCS | Not released | 25 | |||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | AP | RV | RV | 25 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 20 | RV | 22 | 20 | RV | 25 | RV | RV | ||
| C | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 19 | RV | 23 | 19 | 23 | 21 | RV | RV | ||
| BCS | Not released | 22 | 23 | 21 | 23 | ||||||||||||
| Maryland | AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | ||||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | |||||||||||||||
| BCS | Not released | ||||||||||||||||
| Miami | AP | RV | RV | RV | |||||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | RV | RV | |||||||||||||
| BCS | Not released | ||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina | AP | RV | RV | ||||||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | ||||||||
| BCS | Not released | ||||||||||||||||
| NC State | AP | RV | RV | ||||||||||||||
| C | RV | ||||||||||||||||
| BCS | Not released | ||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | AP | RV | RV | 24 | RV | RV | RV | ||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | ||||||||||
| BCS | Not released | ||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | AP | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 21 |
| C | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 17 | |
| BCS | Not released | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 11 | ||||||||
| Wake Forest | AP | RV | RV | ||||||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | |||||||||||||||
| BCS | Not released |
| Bowl Game | Date | Stadium | City | Television | Matchup/Result | Attendance | Payout (US$) per team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCS | ||||||||
| Allstate Sugar Bowl | January 3, 2012 | Michigan 23, Virginia Tech 20 | 64,512 | $17,000,000 | ||||
| January 4, 2012 | West Virginia 70, Clemson 33 | 67,563 | $17,000,000 | |||||
| Non-BCS | ||||||||
| December 26, 2011 | Missouri 41, North Carolina 24 | 41,728 | $1,100,000 | |||||
| December 27, 2011 | NC State 31, Louisville 24 | 58,427 | $1,000,000 | |||||
| December 29, 2011 | Florida State 18, Notre Dame 14 | 68,305 | $2,125,000 | |||||
| December 30, 2011 | Mississippi State 23, Wake Forest 17 | 55,208 | $1,700,000 | |||||
| December 31, 2011 | Utah 30, Georgia Tech 27 | 48,123 | $1,900,000 | |||||
| December 31, 2011 | Auburn 43, Virginia 24 | 72,919 | $3,350,000 | |||||
Offense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Wide receiver | Sammy Watkins | Clemson |
| Chris Givens | Wake Forest | |
| Tight end | Dwayne Allen | Clemson |
| Tackle | Blake DeChristopher | Virginia Tech |
| Zebrie Sanders | Florida State | |
| Guard | Austin Pasztor | Virginia |
| Omoregie Uzzi | Georgia Tech | |
| Center | Dalton Freeman | Clemson |
| Quarterback | Tajh Boyd | Clemson |
| Running back | David Wilson | Virginia Tech |
| Giovani Bernard | North Carolina | |
| Placekicker | Dustin Hopkins | Florida State |
| Specialist | T. J. Graham | NC State |
Defense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | Andre Branch | Clemson |
| Quinton Coples | North Carolina | |
| Defensive tackle | Joe Vellano | Maryland |
| Matthew Conrath | Virginia | |
| Linebacker | Luke Kuechly | Boston College |
| Sean Spence | Miami | |
| Zach Brown | North Carolina | |
| Cornerback | David Amerson | NC State |
| Chase Minnifield | Virginia | |
| Safety | Matt Daniels | Duke |
| Josh Bush | Wake Forest | |
| Punter | Shawn Powell | Florida State |
Offense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Wide receiver | Dwight Jones | North Carolina |
| Conner Vernon | Duke | |
| Tight end | George Bryan | NC State |
| Tackle | Oday Aboushi | Virginia |
| James Hurst | North Carolina | |
| Guard | Jaymes Brooks | Virginia Tech |
| Jonathan Cooper | North Carolina | |
| Joe Looney | Wake Forest | |
| Center | Tyler Horn | Miami |
| Quarterback | Logan Thomas | Virginia Tech |
| Running back | Lamar Miller | Miami |
| Andre Ellington | Clemson | |
| Placekicker | Chandler Catanzaro | Clemson |
| Specialist | Sammy Watkins | Clemson |
Defense
| Position | Player | School |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | Brandon Jenkins | Florida State |
| James Gayle | Virginia Tech | |
| Defensive tackle | Brandon Thompson | Clemson |
| Nikita Whitlock | Wake Forest | |
| Linebacker | Terrell Manning | NC State |
| Julian Burnett | Georgia Tech | |
| Steve Greer | Virginia | |
| Cornerback | Jayron Hosley | Virginia Tech |
| Kyle Fuller | Virginia Tech | |
| Safety | Eddie Whitley | Virginia Tech |
| Lamarcus Joyner | Florida State | |
| Punter | Alex King | Duke |
ACC Player of the Year[8]
RB David Wilson- Virginia TechOffensive Player of the Year
RB David Wilson- Virginia TechDefensive Player of the Year[9]
LB Luke Kuechly- Boston College
Rookie of the Year[10]
WR Sammy Watkins- ClemsonOffensive Rookie of the Year
WR Sammy Watkins- ClemsonDefensive Rookie of the Year[11]
CB Merrill Noel- Wake Forest
Coach of the Year[12]
Mike London- VirginiaBrian Piccolo Award[13]
RB Giovani Bernard- North CarolinaJim Tatum Award[14]
WR Danny Coale- Virginia Tech
LB Luke Kuechly- Boston College
TE Dwayne Allen- ClemsonLombardi Award[17]
LB Luke Kuechly- Boston College
Jack Tatum Award[18]
CB David Amerson- NC State