The 2006 Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a regular-season American football game to determine the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake Forest defeated Georgia Tech by a 9–6 score to win its first ACC football championship since 1970 and its second in school history. The game was held at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (now known as TIAA Bank Field) in Jacksonville, Florida and was the concluding game of the regular season for each team.
Neither team was highly regarded at the beginning of the 2006 season, but each team outperformed expectations to earn the right to play in the conference championship game, which was the second in the conference's history. Wake Forest, the Atlantic Division representative, earned a 10–2 record behind redshirt freshman quarterback Riley Skinner, who won the ACC's rookie of the year award. Wake defeated tough ACC opponents Florida State and 16th-ranked Boston College to win the Atlantic Division. Georgia Tech, led by junior All-America wide receiver Calvin Johnson, defeated 11th-ranked Virginia Tech and North Carolina en route to winning the Coastal Division and a spot in the championship game.
Low attendance and poor weather marred the contest, which kicked off amid rain and fog. Defense dominated from the beginning, as Georgia Tech took a 3–0 lead in the first quarter. Wake Forest evened the score before halftime, however, and the two teams headed into the second half tied at 3–3. After a scoreless third quarter, Georgia Tech took a 6–3 lead early in the fourth quarter. After Tech quarterback Reggie Ball threw a critical interception, Wake Forest was able to tie the game, then take a 9–6 lead. With time running out, Wake's defense denied Georgia Tech a game-winning score, and Wake Forest clinched the win.
All the scoring in the game came via five field goals, and Wake Forest's kicker, Sam Swank, was named the game's most valuable player. By virtue of its victory, Wake Forest earned its first ACC football championship since 1970 and was awarded a bid to the 2007 Orange Bowl. Georgia Tech's loss and second-place ACC finish earned it a position in the 2007 Gator Bowl. Following the conclusion of each team's bowl game, numerous players from both teams were selected in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Selection process
The ACC Championship Game matches the winner of the Coastal and Atlantic Divisions of the Atlantic Coast Conference. A conference championship game was added in 2005, as a result of the league's expansion the previous year, adding former Big East members Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. With the addition of Boston College, the ACC consisted of 12 teams, allowing it to hold a conference championship game under NCAA rules.
Florida State defeated Virginia Tech, 27–22 in the first ACC Championship game. Following the 2005 game, the ACC requested that ABC schedule the 2006 contest for the afternoon in order to maximize television ratings. Heading into the 2006 college football season, Florida State and Miami were picked in the annual ACC pre-season media poll as favorites to appear in the 2006 ACC Championship Game. Georgia Tech received the third-most votes on the Coastal Division side of the poll, while Wake Forest was picked to finish last in the Atlantic Division.
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech's 2006 season began with a tough game against No. 2 Notre Dame. Though the Yellow Jackets lost 14-10, they took an early 10-0 lead over heavily favored Notre Dame until the Fighting Irish scored 14 unanswered points to win the game. Tech bounced back from the narrow loss by winning five straight games, including a 38-27 victory in Blacksburg, Virginia against the No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies, who would later go on to finish second in the division.
Heading into the seventh game of the season, Georgia Tech was 5-1 and had an undefeated 3-0 record in conference play. At No. 12 Clemson, however, Tech suffered its first conference loss and largest loss of the season, losing 31-7. Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson failed to record a reception for the first time in his career during the loss. Tech followed the loss by winning its next four games. Following the third win, a 7-0 shutout of North Carolina, Tech clinched the Coastal Division championship and a bid to the ACC Championship Game.