ACC, SEC rivals collide with postseason berths on the line

By Steve Megagree and Hank Kurz Jr.

The Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference have something to prove as they enter a rivalry-themed week featuring four matchups between the two leagues.

This week’s SEC vs. ACC showdowns are particularly important for No. 3 Clemson (No. 3 College Football Playoff ) and No. 4 Georgia (No. 4 CFP).

Clemson (11-0) is favored by 27 points over South Carolina (4-7) and Georgia (101) is a 28-point favorite at Georgia Tech (3-8). Both the Tigers and Bulldogs must keep winning to maintain their playoff hopes — and they understand rivalries sometimes produce unexpected results.

“The challenge is about the rivalry,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “So when you think about this game, records are thrown out. None of that matters.’’

This week’s other interconference matchups include Florida State (6-5) at No. 8 Florida (9-2, No. 11 CFP) and Louisville (7-4) at Kentucky (6-5).

Neither league has distinguished itself in nonconference play this year.

The ACC is 3-11 against teams from other Power Five leagues and Notre Dame, while the SEC is 6-5 in those types of matchups.

The SEC has an overall nonconference record of 39-13 and has its highest number of regular-season nonconference losses since 2003 and its lowest regular-season nonconference winning percentage since 2005. The ACC owns a 34-16 nonconference record that doesn’t include Wake Forest’s victory over North Carolina, a game between ACC rivals that didn’t count in the league standings.

The SEC and ACC have split their four matchups thus far. North Carolina beat South Carolina and Clemson defeated Texas A&M for the ACC’s two wins. Alabama trounced Duke and Florida edged Miami for the SEC’s two victories.

ACC teams have held their own against the SEC, going 25-25 in the matchups since 2015.

“I think it’s big for the ACC when you go out and out of conference and go get you a big win,” Louisville coach Scott Satterfield said. “There is no question about it. I think as you look back on the body of work, that’s huge for our conference and in our league. We’ve got to be able to do that, in particular when you’re going against an SEC school.’’

Clemson remains on pace to give the ACC a playoff berth as it continues its national title defense. The SEC has a shot at two playoff spots with No. 1 LSU (No. 2 CFP), Georgia and No. 5 Alabama (No. 5 CFP) in contention.