Atlantic Coast Conference

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is one of the oldest collegiate athletic leagues in the United States. Founded in 1953, one year before the formation of the Ivy League, the ACC's twelve member universities compete in twenty sports in the NCAA's Division I. Spanning the Eastern Seaboard, from New England to the Everglades, its member institutions are located in the Atlantic coastal states of Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Sports

Member universities compete in the following sports:

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• Baseball
• Men's Basketball
• Women's Basketball
• Cross Country
• Field Hockey
• Football
• Men's Golf
• Women's Golf
• Men's Lacrosse
• Women's Lacrosse
• Rowing
• Men's Soccer
• Women's Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming & Diving
• Men's Tennis
• Women's Tennis
• Track & Field
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

Basketball

The ACC is considered one of the best men's college basketball conferences in the nation. For example, during February 2004, six teams were ranked in the top 25 at one time. One of the unranked teams, Maryland, was the National Champion in 2002 (and the ACC Champion in March 2004) and Clemson, who was ranked last in the ACC, had a strength of schedule ranked #1 in the country. The addition of Miami and Virginia Tech was expected to make the Atlantic Coast Conference more competitive in most sports, especially football. Both schools' men's basketball programs, especially Virginia Tech's, were generally regarded as weaker than the rest of the ACC; however, the Hokies and Hurricanes finished fourth and sixth (respectively) in their inaugural season of ACC basketball in 2004, quieting their critics as both received NIT bids.

Related Topics:
February - 2004 - 2002 - March - NIT

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For five weeks beginning on November 29, 2004, the ACC had a record-tying seven teams ranked in the AP men's basketball poll. The feat had been accomplished previously by the conference before in December 1997, and by the Big Ten in January 1999, but never for such a duration.

Related Topics:
November 29 - 2004 - AP - Big Ten - January - 1999

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Football

As of 2005, the ACC will begin divisional play in football. Both division leaders will compete in a playoff game at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida to determine the ACC championship. This division structure leads to each team playing the following games:

Related Topics:
2005 - ALLTEL Stadium - Jacksonville, Florida

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• Five games within its division (one against each opponent)
• One game against a "permanent rival" from the other division
• Two rotating games against teams in the other division

In the table below, the teams are listed in columns by division, and horizontally paired by permanent cross-divisional rivalry (not necessarily the school's closest traditional rival).

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Soccer

Another sport that has seen dominance by the Atlantic Coast Conference is soccer. In men's soccer, the ACC has won 9 national championships in the past 20 seasons, five of them by the University of Virginia (1989, 1991–1994). Four others have come from Clemson University (1984, 1987), Duke University (1986), and the University of North Carolina (2001).

Related Topics:
University of Virginia - 1989 - 1991 - 1994 - Clemson University - 1984 - 1987 - Duke University - 1986 - University of North Carolina - 2001

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Since women's soccer became a collegiate sport in 1982, the conference has produced a national powerhouse that not many sports in the NCAA have seen. The University of North Carolina, in the 23 years since the NCAA first crowned its champion in 1982, has won 15 of the national titles (1982-1984, 1986-1994, 1996-1997 and 2003).

Related Topics:
1982 - 1984 - 1986 - 1994 - 1996 - 1997 - 2003

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Lacrosse

Yet another sport that the conference is known for excelling in is men's and women's lacrosse. Since 1971, when the first men's national champion was determined by the NCAA, the ACC has won 7 national championships (as of 2005). The University of North Carolina has won four national championships (1981, 1982, 1986, and 1991), the University of Virginia has won three (1972, 1999, and 2003), and the University of Maryland has won one (1973). Women's Lacrosse, a sport in which the national champion has only been determined since 1982, has seen much dominance by the ACC, specifically by The University of Maryland. In all, the ACC has won 12 women's national championships. The University of Maryland accounts for nine of those championships (1986, 1992, 1995-2001), and the University of Virginia won the other three (1991, 1993, and 2004).

Related Topics:
Lacrosse - 1971 - NCAA - 2005 - University of North Carolina - 1981 - 1982 - 1986 - 1991 - University of Virginia - 1972 - 1999 - 2003 - University of Maryland - 1973 - 1992 - 1995 - 2001 - 1993 - 2004

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Stadia