CLEMSON-GEORGIA TECH TO MEET IN DR PEPPER ACC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Clemson Tigers Running Back C.J. Spiller

Miami Lakes, Fla. (www.orangebowl.org) – The Atlantic Coast Conference's 2009 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship will feature Atlantic Division Champion Clemson (8-4, 6-2 in the ACC) and Coastal Division Champion Georgia Tech (10-2, 7-1 in the ACC) Saturday night, December 5 in prime time. Kickoff is at 8 pm in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ABC.

The winner will play in the FedEx Orange Bowl on January 5 at 8 pm in Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. against the first available BCS at-large team.

Clemson last won the ACC title in 1991 and last appeared in the Orange Bowl in 1982, when it won its only national championship. The Tigers also appeared in the Orange Bowl in 1951 and 1957. Clemson has never appeared in the Dr. Pepper ACC Football Championship, which was first played in 2005.

Georgia Tech last shared the ACC title (with Florida State) in 1998 and last won it outright in 1990. The Yellow Jackets lost the 2006 Dr. Pepper ACC Football Championship to Wake Forest in Jacksonville. They have played in five Orange Bowls, more than any other ACC school except Miami (9) and Florida State (8). Georgia Tech’s last Orange Bowl appearance was 1967, and it also played in the 1940, ’45, ’48 and ’52 games.

Each team features an explosive running back, as both Jonathan Dwyer of Georgia Tech and C.J. Spiller of Clemson are among the 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation’s top running back. Spiller is only the fifth player in NCAA history to top 7,000 career all-purpose yards and holds the ACC single-season record for all-purpose yards. Dwyer is the reigning ACC player of the year.

For information on tickets to the FedEx Orange Bowl or any other Orange Bowl Festival event, including the AvMed Coaches Luncheon, Budweiser Tailgate Party or Fan Fest, visit our TICKETS section of www.orangebowl.org or contact 305.341.4702.