ESPN College Football

If this past weekend’s nonconference games were any indication of what’s to come in the bowl games, the ACC might be better off having its own Backyard Brawl this year. With only seven bowl eligible teams, the ACC needs a winning record to earn some respectability at the national level.

UNC’s loss likely ruined its chance at a better bowl game, while Miami became a more attractive pick with its nine-win season and could wind up in the Gator Bowl. At this point, there are still a lot of options on the table, depending upon who wins the ACC championship game.

Whichever team loses will be on a two-game losing streak heading into bowl season, and could fall as low as the Music City Bowl in the selection process. It’s a toss-up as to who will wind up in the Orange Bowl, but one thing is for sure -- Georgia Tech’s defense isn’t as good as South Carolina’s, so the Tigers should have more success offensively in the title game. That being said, I have no idea who's going to win that game.

Here are the latest bowl projections for the ACC:

FedEx Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. BCS at large

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. SEC

Gator Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Big East or Notre Dame

Champs Sports Bowl: Miami vs. Big Ten

Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs. SEC

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Florida State vs. Big East

Emerald Bowl: Boston College vs. Pac-10

Florida State is in, Duke is out. That means the ACC will have seven bowl-eligible teams this year, falling short of the nine guaranteed slots and last year’s NCAA-record 10 bowl-eligible teams. That won’t matter much, though, if the seven teams that are bowl eligible can continue to win this postseason. North Carolina is putting itself in position for a more lucrative bowl, as it should finish the regular season with nine wins, and the ACC championship game will obviously play a factor in the selection process.

For now, though, here are the latest bowl projections for the ACC, and keep in mind, they're all based on my wacky prediction that Clemson upsets Georgia Tech in the championship game:

• FedEx Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. BCS at large
• Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. SEC
• Gator Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Big East or Notre Dame
• Champs Sports Bowl: North Carolina vs. Big Ten
• Music City Bowl: Miami vs. SEC
• Meineke Car Care Bowl: Florida State vs. Big East
• Emerald Bowl: Boston College vs. Pac-10
• EagleBank Bowl: N/A
• GMAC Bowl: N/A