CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The 20th-ranked Duke Blue Devils kick off against the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles in the 9th annual Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Football Championship game at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday.
For the Blue Devils, it’s their first-ever appearance in the league championship game while the Seminoles come in as defending champions and will be making their third appearance in the title game in four years.
Duke was an ACC co-champion in 1989 with Virginia, so it has been that long since they have been able to brag of any title, including their first-ever Coastal Division title that they earned last Saturday with a 27-25 win over rival North Carolina.
The championship game will be the 19th meeting between the two programs with Duke having never beaten Florida State since they joined the conference in 1992.
The Blue Devils come into the game carrying an eight-game win streak, looking to extend their record beyond 10 games, an all-time mark that they have achieved for the first time in school history.
The Seminoles travel to Charlotte with their own 14-game win streak intact and looking to win their 14th ACC title since joining the conference.
Florida State is 12-0 for only the second time in school history and has re-set the single-season scoring record (644 points), breaking their old mark (550 points) set last season.
Players to watch:
Duke (10-2)
Anthony Boone (QB), Brandon Connette (QB), Jamison Crowder (WR), Ross Cockrell (CB) DeVon Edwards (S), Jeremy Cash (S), Kelby Brown (LB), Kenny Anunike (DE)
Florida State (12-0)
Jameis Winston (QB), Kelvin Benjamin (WR), Rashad Greene (WR), Bryan Stork (C), Lamarcus Joyner (CB), Terrence Brooks (SS), Jalen Ramsey (FS)