BLACKSBURG, Va. — The persistent smears of Atlantic Coast Conference football have subsided. Florida State won a national championship in 2013, and Clemson had a near miss in the title game last season. The emergence of Louisville and its Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback, Lamar Jackson, has given the league another reputable team, one of six from the conference that have spent time in the Top 25 this season, and one of the four to make the Top 10.
So when John Swofford, the A.C.C. commissioner, glanced over his shoulder here Thursday night inside Lane Stadium as the Miami and Virginia Tech teams warmed up, he knew he did not have to deal in hope and public relations any longer.