College Football SMQ: The greatest forfeit games in college football history

2009: Georgia Tech upends Clemson to win (forfeited) ACC title

In October 2009, Georgia Tech took down Virginia Tech in a game that eventually decided the ACC Coastal. By defeating the Hokies, the Yellow Jackets earned a December trip to Tampa to face Atlantic Division champion Clemson for the ACC championship.

Three months earlier, Virginia Tech lost an early-season conference showdown against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets prevailed in that contest 30-27, and the rematch promised to be another thriller between two well-matched opponents. The two teams sitting in the top 25 didn’t disappoint, as they played a back-and-forth thriller at Raymond James Stadium.

C.J. Spiller won the MVP in a losing effort, setting ACC title game records with 233 yards and four rushing touchdowns. The offensive explosion by Spiller proved insufficient to send the Tigers through to victory, however. Clemson went ahead with 6:11 remaining, but the Yellow Jackets mounted a go-ahead drive in the final minutes that claimed the conference crown.

As a result, Georgia Tech then went on to the Orange Bowl where they faced Big Ten runner-up Iowa. The ACC champs fell to the Hawkeyes to end the season on a down note. Things would only get worse moving forward. Eventually their championship was declared forfeit, as the NCAA vacated Georgia Tech’s last three games.

Losses against non-conference rival Georgia and in the Orange Bowl remain defeats on the official record. But the ACC struck Georgia Tech’s conference championship from the official books. The game was rendered null and void by the investigation into several hundred dollars worth of clothing given to Georgia Tech receiver Demaryius Thomas by graduated quarterback Calvin Booker. Penalties were meted out in large part by the university’s lack of cooperation with NCAA authorities as the severity of the original indiscretion. Either way, this title never officially happened.