The two programs also met five years earlier in the 2011 ACC Championship Game.
The ACC Championship Game had been played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2010, but the ACC announced it would move its neutral site championships out of North Carolina for the 2016 season in response to the state's controversial HB2 law.
[2] The 2016 championship game was played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
[3] The Tigers qualified for the game by winning the ACC Atlantic Division with a conference record of 7–1, tied with the Louisville Cardinals, who Clemson beat on October 1, 2016, 42–36.
The Hokies qualified for the game by clinching the ACC Coastal Division following North Carolina's loss at home on November 25, 2016, to NC State, 28–21.