Numbers Game: Wake Forest left out of 2013 ACC/Big Ten Challenge

The pairings for this year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge were released Wednesday, and Wake Forest was not among the 12 ACC teams selected for the event. Wake Forest's exclusion is partly due to a numbers game, as the new-look Atlantic Coast Conference has three more teams than the Big Ten.

This discrepancy forced the ACC to choose 12 teams with the highest RPI during the 2012-13 season to represent the conference in this year's event. The league decided to include Maryland, despite their imminent departure for the Big Ten after this season. Out of the 15 current league schools (including Maryland), the Deacons had the 13th highest RPI. Had the ACC chosen to cite the Terrapins' inclusion as a conflict of interest, the Deacons would have been a participant this year.

The Deacons participated in 13 of the 14 previous ACC/Big Ten Challenges, with 2006 being the only year in which they did not play. Wake Forest is 10-3 overall in the Challenge, losing only to Illinois, Purdue and Nebraska. In addition to Wake Forest, this year's event will also not include Clemson or Virginia Tech.

Per the official release from the Atlantic Coast Conference, here are the 2013 pairings:

Tuesday, December 3

Indiana at Syracuse

Michigan at Duke

Notre Dame at Iowa

Florida State at Minnesota

Penn State at Pittsburgh

Illinois at Georgia Tech

Wednesday, December 4

North Carolina at Michigan State

Maryland at Ohio State

Miami at Nebraska

Wisconsin at Virginia

Boston College at Purdue

Northwestern at NC State