The official 2011-2012 college football bowl schedule was released by the Football Bowl Association today. Here's a look at when the ACC bowl games will be played.
- Mon., Dec 26: AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl vs. Mountain West, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2 ($2.3 million)
- Tue., Dec 27: Belk Bowl vs. Big East, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN ($3.4 million)
- Wed., Dec 28: Military Bowl presented by Northrup Grumman vs. Navy, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN ($1.725 million)
- Thu., Dec 29: Champs Sports Bowl vs. Big East, 5.30 p.m. ET, ESPN ($4.65 million)
- Fri., Dec 30: Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl vs. SEC, 6:40 p.m. ET, ESPN ($3.675 million)
- Sat., Dec 31: Hyundai Sun Bowl vs. Pac 12, 2 p.m. ET, CBS ($4 million)
- Sat., Dec 31: Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl vs. Pac 12, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN ($1.675 million)
- Sat., Dec 31: Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. SEC, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN ($6.9 million)
- Wed., Jan 4: Discover Orange Bowl vs. BCS, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN (Payout TBA)
The ACC has a conditional agreement with the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, but this year the bowl's primary conference tie-ins are the Pac 12 and Army.
That's a total of seven or eight ACC bowl games that happen in December -- all during the week between Christmas and New Year's -- and the Orange Bowl on January 4 (which has last pick of the BCS at-larges ... hello, Big East champ!). So you and the rest of the country can put ACC football pretty much out of your mind before the New Year, which is just the way the TV execs intended it to be.
See you all (ya'll?) in Shreveport on December 26!