What We Know about 2011 ACC/Big Ten Challenge?

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SelectionSunday

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I haven't seen it confirmed that the contract was extended, but let's assume the two conferences will go head to head once again this season.

Here's what we know.

(1) With the addition of Nebraska, all 12 teams from each conference will participate. The Cornhuskers (obviously) and Miami-Florida were absent last year.

(2) Maryland and Michigan State are both highly likely to play at home. Both have played on the road in each of the last two challenges.

(3) Clemson and Wisconsin are both highly likely to play on the road. Both have played at home in each of the last two challenges.

(4) Michigan State will not play North Carolina or Duke. Sparty plays North Carolina on Nov. 11 on an aircraft carrier in San Diego and also will also play Duke on Nov. 15 in the inaugural Champions Classic.

(5) Michigan will not play Duke. Both are part of the Maui Invitational.

(6) The Gophers will not play Wake Forest. Both are part of the Old Spice Classic.

(7) Purdue will not play Maryland. Both are part of the Puerto Rico Shootout.

(8) Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue are more likely to play at home than on the road.

(9) Illinois, the Gophers, Northwestern, Penn State and Wisconsin are more likely to play on the road than at home.

(10) Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State and Virginia are more likely to play at home than on the road.

(11) Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest are more likely to play on the road than at home.

(12) That leaves Miami-Florida with a likely home game and Nebraska with a likely road game.

So with that backdrop, here's a stab in the dark at the pairings we'll see in late November. I have avoided rematches from this past season.

ACC Home Games
Illinois @ Maryland
Minnesota @ NC State
Nebraska @ Virginia (relegated to Monday)
Northwestern @ Miami-Florida
Penn State @ Georgia Tech
Wisconsin @ North Carolina (Tuesday or Wednesday prime-time marquee ESPN matchup)

Big Ten Home Games
Boston College @ Iowa
Clemson @ Purdue
Duke @ Ohio State (Tuesday or Wednesday prime-time marquee ESPN matchup)
Florida State @ Michigan
Virginia Tech @ Michigan State
Wake Forest @ Indiana (relegated to Monday)
 

Given our luck I'm betting that yet again... Gophers will play Virginia
 


We'll get VA again...have we played 1 semi-decent ACC team in the last 4-5 years?
 

Purdue has requested a road game in the next ACC/B1G Challenge to better balance their NC schedule the next 2 years.
 


SelectionSunday said:
ACC Home Games
Illinois @ Maryland
Minnesota @ NC StateNebraska @ Virginia (relegated to Monday)
Northwestern @ Miami-Florida
Penn State @ Georgia Tech
Wisconsin @ North Carolina (Tuesday or Wednesday prime-time marquee ESPN matchup)

Big Ten Home Games
Boston College @ Iowa
Clemson @ Purdue
Duke @ Ohio State (Tuesday or Wednesday prime-time marquee ESPN matchup)
Florida State @ Michigan
Virginia Tech @ Michigan State
Wake Forest @ Indiana (relegated to Monday)
Click to expand...

Seth Davis may be right after all!:eek:
 

Rouser said:
Given our luck I'm betting that yet again... Gophers will play Virginia
Click to expand...

I think it's FSU's turn in the rotation of the 2 or 3 teams we're allowed to play.
 

I don't understand why Miami would have a home game. They are due to play on the road - their last 2 games in the Challenge were both at home, and they got pretty good home games at that (OSU and Minnesota, two NCAA tourney teams those seasons). Miami has benefitted from this Challenge by having some good home games, they sat out last year, but they owe the Big Ten a home game. There tends to be a team or two get back-to-back home games or road games, I think the fact that Miami certainly is due a road game could cause that. You could give NW a road game with UVA and Nebraska a home game with Miami and not change anything else, though, so maybe they don't have to fudge the home/away sequence much.
 

Good point about Miami. I only went back two years, so I didn't look where Miami played in 2008.
 



B10/ACC

The only redeeming feature of The Big 10/ACC Challenge has been that it has meant at least ONE team from a Power 6 conference has appeared in the Barn every other year. Personally, I think the event is stale and wouldn't be the least bit sad if it was put out to pasture a la the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Challenge.
 

It's going to be difficult (actually, it's probably impossible) for them to schedule 12 games and make it fair in terms of who's owed a home game and who's owed a road game, and still end up at 6 home/road for each conference. The ACC had the majority of home games last year (6-5), and with Miami also owing a road game, there are seven teams in the ACC that theoretically should be playing on the road, so perhaps a 7-5 split with the B1G getting the lionshare of the home games is in order.
 

OSUfan, I heard that the Schedule will all be figured out by Jim Tressell and a tatoo artist. Or is this just a rumor?
 

Personally, I'd love an @NC State game ... to go in there and win would be cool just because of all the rumors.

Any chance Tubby can schedule Cal or Oregon or Iowa State as a Non Conference opponent? Would be some entertainment for sure.
 



ShowinGoldyLove said:
We'll get VA again...have we played 1 semi-decent ACC team in the last 4-5 years?
Click to expand...

Well there was that one time last year when we played North Carolina...

Lol, but yeah, I know what you mean
 

Have we ever played anyone other than Virginia or FSU in the 'Challenge?'
 

gophmeister said:
Have we ever played anyone other than Virginia or FSU in the 'Challenge?'
Click to expand...

I know you were being sarcastic, but here's Minnesota's run of opponents

1999: v. Virginia (W 74-62)
2000: @ Florida State (W 79-71)
2001: @ Wake Forest (L 85-79)
2002: v. Georgia Tech (W 64-63)
2003: @ Virginia (L 86-78)
2004: v. Florida State (L 70-69)
2005: @ Maryland (L 83-66)
2006: v. Clemson (L 90-68)
2007: @ Florida State (L 75-61)
2008: v. Virginia (W 66-56)
2009: @ Miami (L 63-58)
2010: v. Virginia (L 87-79)

Just for anyone who was truly curious about our run in the challenge. Virginia (4 times) and Florida State (3 times), have been seen quite a bit in the (7 out of 12 times). Also interesting is that we started 3-1 in the first four years, but have one win since '03.
 

I would imagine we'll see the pairings in about a month. Last year the pairings were released in the second week of May.
 

Matchups coming next month, but the home / away Big Ten teams have been announced:

Home: Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, tOSU, Purdue

Away: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, NW'n, Penn St, Wisconsin
 

My best guess is the Gophers will host BC.

I think they will have the group of Duke @ OSU, FSU @ MSU, Miami @ Purdue, UW @ Maryland, Mich @ NC be the group of top matchups, although I could see them having Indiana @ NC to have the "Zeller bowl" of sorts. It really will be a dilemma who they should matchup @ UNC - assuming that UNC will have a home game, it's got to be one of IL/IN/Mich/UW and I don't think any of those teams are going to be able to give NC a game.
 

Thanks GW. You haven't heard anything about the home & road teams from the ACC?
 

Gopher Warrior said:
Matchups coming next month, but the home / away Big Ten teams have been announced:

Home: Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, tOSU, Purdue

Away: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, NW'n, Penn St, Wisconsin
Click to expand...

So much for a non-ACC BCS home game. Oh well.
 

howeda7 said:
So much for a non-ACC BCS home game. Oh well.
Click to expand...

That's OK. I'm sure they figure hosting the likes of NCAA qualifiers Bucknell and Oakland eliminates the need to try & schedule a second home BCS opponent. Heaven forbid we ever schedule a non-ACC Big 6 home-and-home series.;)
 

I'd say BC is best bet as Gopher opponent

Knowing the Big Ten's home teams (Iowa, Sparty, Gophers, Nebraska, OSU & Purdue) and taking a guess at the likely ACC home & road teams based on where they played the last few years, I'd say we could be looking at something like this:

Big Ten Home
Boston College @ Gophers
Clemson @ Purdue
Duke @ Ohio State
Miami @ Iowa
Virginia Tech @ Michigan State
Wake Forest @ Nebraska

ACC Home
Illinois @ NC State
Indiana @ Georgia Tech
Michigan @ Florida State
Northwestern @ Maryland
Penn State @ Virginia
Wisconsin @ North Carolina
 

I've looked at the history a little further. Assuming Wikipedia is accurate, the "imbalances" of home/away for ACC teams are: BC (3 H, only 2 A), GT (5H/6A), NCSU (5H/6A), UVA (5H/6A), and WF (6H, 5A). My research says those five teams are the ones from the ACC that are most imbalanced based on their history in the Challenge as a whole. Maryland, while having played road games in two consecutive seasons, actually has still played more true home games than true road games (although their having played 2 semi-away games to 1 semi-home game balances things out). Duke and UNC are both perfectly balanced between true home games, true road games and semi-home/away games, and with both having had a home game within the past two Challenges, I can't say that either has a particularly compelling case for having to play either home or away. Clemson, FSU, Miami, and VT also are perfectly balanced at this point, although Clemson & Miami have had two straight home games and Maryland has had 2 straight on the road.

So I will assume that BC will play on the road, GT will play at home, NC St will play at home, UVA will play at home and WF will play on the road. I think it is fair to expect Clemson to play on the road, for Maryland to have a home game, and for Miami to play on the road. So my "hypothesized" H/A designations for the ACC are:
Home: GT, NCSU, UVA, MD
Away: BC, WF, Clem, Miami
Could fairly go either way: Duke, UNC, FSU, VT

It would be interesting to see what happens with Maryland - if they get a semi-home game (such as another tilt in Baltimore, or perhaps DC) this year, they could go on the road next year and then be perfectly balanced.

I honestly think it would be completely fair for the organizers to put UNC, Duke, FSU and VT either home or away. So it is possible that both UNC and Duke will be on the road.
 

Minn/BC

SelectionSunday said:
Knowing the Big Ten's home teams (Iowa, Sparty, Gophers, Nebraska, OSU & Purdue) and taking a guess at the likely ACC home & road teams based on where they played the last few years, I'd say we could be looking at something like this:

Big Ten Home
Boston College @ Gophers
Clemson @ Purdue
Duke @ Ohio State
Miami @ Iowa
Virginia Tech @ Michigan State
Wake Forest @ Nebraska

ACC Home
Illinois @ NC State
Indiana @ Georgia Tech
Michigan @ Florida State
Northwestern @ Maryland
Penn State @ Virginia
Wisconsin @ North Carolina
Click to expand...

I think a Gophers/BC match-up is likely for this reason: Both teams are playing in holiday Tourneys prior to the challange with games on Sunday. BC is playing in Anaheim, so they could stop over in the Twin Cities for a Tuesday nite match-up. I think they main reason the Gophers played Virginia last year on the Monday opener was for the simple fact, their schedules allowed it. Neither team played the weekend before.
 

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