The only reason I care about the perception of the ACC is because it affects the perception of GT. I'd be happy to win BCS bowl games coming out of the worst conference in the country. I don't think anyone would could argue with our merits if we did that consistently.
I disagree. I'm fairly confident they would indeed argue the merits if you come out of a weak conference.
With the new 4-team playoff coming next year, they would indeed pass over the winner of a weak conference and take a 1-loss SEC champion instead. For proof, look at the last 2 year's national championship games. Hell, two years ago, Alabama lost to LSU in regular season and ended up playing LSU a second time...for the national championship. All because people thought the SEC was so dominant that they took two 1-loss SEC teams over other 1-loss teams.
One of those 1-loss teams was Boise State. However, even before they lost that one game, there was speculation on ESPN and other media outlets of "Does an undefeated Boise State team deserve to be in the national championship game over a one-loss SEC team?"
The best way to ensure your chances in the 4-team playoff is to win your league and for your league to be perceived as strong.