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The ACC, Big Ten and ESPN made it official on Wednesday afternoon, announcing the matchups for the 15th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Other than Boston College-Purdue, the event will be headlined by matchups between Syracuse-Indiana, Michigan-Duke and North Carolina-Michigan State. All 12 Big Ten teams and 12 of the 15 ACC teams will participate in the Challenge. So sorry, Wake Forest, Clemson and Virginia Tech.
The joke, apparently, is on the rest of us though:
virginia tech and wake forest are both not in the acc/big ten challenge so we're having a party at discovery zone without the rest of you
— Martin Rickman (@martinrickman) May 8, 2013
@martinrickman Don't forget to invite Clemson.Brad wants to play air hockey too.
— Jake S (@BloggerSoDear) May 8, 2013
Youngbloods Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Syracuse will be participating in their first ever Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Syracuse will host Indiana, Pittsburgh Penn State and Notre Dame will travel to Iowa.
The ACC holds a 10-3-1 advantage in Challenge play and has won 82 of the 143 Challenge games played to date. The conference won each of the first 10 Challenges (1999-2008) while the Big Ten has won the last three (2009-2011). Last year the two conferences tied 6-6 but the Commissioner's Cup -- there's an actual trophy for this thing? -- remains with the conference that won the previous year in the event of a tie.
One would expect that given the ACC selected the top 12 teams per the final RPI -- while the Big Ten has to throw Nebraska, Penn State and Northwestern on the court -- that the conference can earn back the Commissioners Cup for the first time since 2008.
Tuesday, December 3
Indiana Hoosiers at Syracuse Orange
Michigan Wolverines at Duke Blue Devils
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Iowa Hawkeyes
Florida St. Seminoles at Minnesota Golden Gophers
Penn St. Nittany Lions at Pittsburgh Panthers
Illinois Fighting Illini at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Wednesday, December 4
North Carolina Tar Heels at Michigan St. Spartans
Maryland Terrapins at Ohio St. Buckeyes
Miami Hurricanes at Nebraska Cornhuskers
Wisconsin Badgers at Virginia Cavaliers
Boston College Eagles at Purdue Boilermakers
Northwestern Wildcats at N.C. State Wolfpack
So who wins? ACC or Big Ten?