Bragging rights, bowls

Rivalry week in ACC won’t alter standings, but much is at stake.

CORAL GABLES, FLA. — The fifinal weekend of the Atlantic Coast Conference season means nothing. Or everything.

It all depends on perspective. Clemson and Miami have clinched spots in the ACC Championship game Dec. 2, a contest that could end up serving as a play-in matchup for the College Football Playoff.

So in terms of the top of the standings, the results this weekend won’t change anything. But for some teams such as Florida State, Georgia Tech and Duke, bowl eligibility is at stake. And nearly everyone in the ACC is playing a rivalry game — which means the regular season is almost certain to end with some intensity.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said .“This is a week that everybody gets excited about all across the country. You’ve got rival- ries taking place this week — Alabama- Auburn, Virginia-Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech- Georgia, Mississippi State-Ole Miss, Michigan-Ohio State. It’s that time. It’s fun to be a part of it. I’ve been a part of it my whole life, and it’s great.”

The Tigers play South Carolina of the SEC, so the state title will keep Clemson’s mind offff the ACC and potential repeat national title opportunities.

And that’s hardly the only battle for state bragging rights: Georgia Tech plays Georgia, Louisville meets Kentucky, Florida State visits Florida, Virginia Tech goes to Virginia, Duke heads to Wake Forest and North Carolina wraps its season at North Carolina State.

The other two ACC games are former Big East rivalries: Miami plays at Pittsburgh and Boston College heads to Syracuse.

“The records will go out the window, as they say, when it’s a rivalry game,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said.

Florida and Florida State would love to throw their records out the window; this season has been a disaster for both, and it’s possible both will miss bowl season. Georgia Tech needs to beat Georgia to earn a postseason invite, and same goes for Duke — which knows getting that sixth win won’t be easy.

“Everybody is aware of it, but it’s not the premium,” coach David Cutcliffe said. “The premium is Wake Forest. It’s a big game for us every year. They’re also a very good football team. It’s a conference game. That overrides your emotions and your thought process. ... But you have to focus on the fact that it is a rival, conference game and road game. It’s always a challenge.”

Some teams know their season ends this weekend, no matter what.

Syracuse beat Clemson and hasn’t won since, so while the Tigers go to the ACC title game next month and a major bowl after that, the Orange are going into the offseason.

North Carolina is playing better but knew its season was doomed weeks ago. And Pitt has lost three games by a touchdown or less, which is why the Panthers’ season ends Friday against Miami.

“It’s going to be the last time that 2017 football team plays together,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said.

“It’s kind of a sad, really sad deal when you’re playing your last football game, and there will be a lot of emotions that go into also playing a tremendous football team with a ton of speed, a ton of confifidence, and obviously playing at a high level right now.”

The biggest win of Clemson’s season a year ago was in the national championship game over Alabama. Some Tigers fans viewed the second-biggest victory as the one over South Carolina.

“Nobody was running up to us at church going, ‘Hey, congratulations on the national championship, but hey, you lost to Pittsburgh,’” Swinney said. “Everybody moved on. But this is one that nobody moves on from. I’ve been on both sides of it, obviously,” beating and losing to the Gamecocks.

“It doesn’t take long for everybody to fifigure that out, because this is what people talk about everywhere they go.”

STREETER LECKA / GETTY IMAGES Dabo Swinney has beaten South Carolina each of the past three seasons but is still only 4-5 against the Gamecocks as Clemson’s coach. The teams play Saturday at South Carolina.