Georgia Tech-Clemson: The Best Possible ACC Championship Game

ACC Football has an image problem.

Critics say there have been a lack of big non-conference wins. There have been some ugly losses. There isn't a dominant team. There aren't any Heisman players.

The ACC Championship game is poorly attended with usually at least one mediocre team. There is a chance this season that if the Clemson Tigers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets can both win the rest of their games this year, it could produce the ACC's most anticipated Championship Game yet.

How you ask?

Let's start with the teams themselves. At 9-1 right now Georgia Tech could enter the ACC Championship as the first ACC team with less than two losses. The Yellow Jackets could potentially finish year 11-1 and mostly like ranked somewhere from No. 4 to No. 7.

Clemson right is now 6-3 and right at or on the edge of the Top 25 depending on what poll you look at. If they finish 9-3, they will be ranked in the 15-20 range. On only one previous occasion has the ACC had both teams ranked in the Top 20.

Then there are the fans who would come to the game.

With all do respect to Boston College and Wake Forest, who each played one of the teams in the last three championship games, they just don't bring in a lot of fans.

Boston College is simply too far away and Wake Forest has one of the smallest alumni bases in America. I guarantee Clemson brings anywhere from 30,000-35,000 fans to Tampa Bay for this game.

Georgia Tech would also do quite well. While the Wake Forest-Georgia Tech ACC Championship was widely criticized for poor attendance, Georgia Tech brought at least 25,000 fans.

I know. I was there.

The Yellow Jacket fans outnumbered Deacs fans by four to one in that game. Expect another 30,000-35,000 Jacket supporters if they get to the championship. That's probably around 60,000 fans in attendance not just tickets sold.

What about star power?

Clemson would boast RB C.J. Spiller. Spiller may not win the Heisman, but he should get invited to New York and is a legitimate top five candidate for the award.

Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer is the reigning ACC Offensive player of the year, and Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt is quickly becoming known as one the best clutch players in college football.

We haven't even got to the Clemson-Georgia Tech Rivalry.

This is a rivalry I called the South's best kept secret back in September, due to the history of close and competitive games, that I chronicled in that article.

Including this year, nine of the last 11 games have been decided by 10 points or less. A tight exciting ball game is virtually guaranteed. The last two ACC games were two touchdown (or more) blowouts by Virginia Tech over Boston College.

Georgia Tech still has to beat the Duke Blue Devils in Durham. That's no easy task with the Blue Devils improvement this year. They also have to play archrival Georgia.

There is still plenty of work to be done for the Yellow Jackets, but a Paul Johnson 11-1 Jackets team would make one great championship participant.

Clemson has a tricky game at NC State, then a game they should win at home with Virginia, before a final date with their archrival South Carolina.

If Dabo Swinney get's his team to 9-3, there wouldn't be a single Clemson fan who isn't all in. The Tigers haven't sniffed an ACC Championship since 1991, and their fanbase would be ecstatic at the surprising season.

Two excited fanbases, plenty of star players, highly ranked teams— what more would you want in a championship game?