This coming weekend, the presumptive battle for ACC supremacy will take place as Florida State hosts Clemson. The conference was considered a two-team race last season as FSU pasted Clemson in Death Valley. The game did decide the division and eventually the conference as the Seminoles beat Duke to earn a spot in the BCS Title Game.
Coming in highly ranked again, the Seminoles and Tigers began the season as favorites to win the ACC, and possibly have a shot at the College Football Playoff. FSU has maintained their number one ranking, while Clemson lost to Georgia and slid down.
With those two teams the only ACC representation in this week’s AP Poll, that leaves the rest of the conference on the precipice of a Top-25 appearance, but no clear leader of the pack. Seven ACC teams appear in the “others receiving votes” category of the AP Poll this week. Some (UNC and Duke) are on the rise and should sneak in with wins next week. Louisville and Virginia Tech took a hit after falling to underdogs.
Among those teams in the middle of the unpredictable ACC are all seven members of the Coastal Division. Five of the above-mentioned “others receiving votes” teams are from the Coastal. At least five of the teams in the division were given a realistic shot to win it. But Virginia has come along and thrown a wrench into the entire perception of the division. With a combined record of 17-3, the Atlantic has put together a nice early season resume, and made it impossible to predict where the teams may stack up come Thanksgiving.
Pittsburgh and Virginia lead the way. Miami (FL) has the lone conference loss to Louisville, who just got stunned by UVA in Charlottesville. Virginia also boasts the best loss of the three, if there is a silver lining to losing, in their 28-20 defeat to then Top-10 UCLA. The Cavaliers nullified UCLA’s offense, and three defensive Bruins touchdowns made the difference. If UVA could’ve hung on, they would be close to going from a two-win team to ranked.
Virginia Tech looked to be the class of the division when they went into Columbus and took out Ohio State. When the Hokies disposed of the Buckeyes, the matchup for the ACC title seemed clear: Seminoles vs. Hokies. Then East Carolina came into Blacksburg and put a damper on that notion. Yes, VA Tech has a route to the ACC championship in its sights, but ECU showed the Hokies can be stopped. VA Tech bounced back from a horrible loss to James Madison in 2010 and won the ACC. They can get back on track this week with a conference game against Georgia Tech.
In contrast to the popular opinion that FSU vs. Clemson game will decide the division, the Coastal may come down to the last few weeks of the season. Maybe the very last weekend. Last season the Coastal was the more intriguing of the two, with Duke beating UNC in their final regular season game to clinch a berth in the title game.
To try and pick a game of the year right now in the Coastal would be ridiculous. With UVA’s sudden ascent into the ACC’s consciousness, every single game that’s played could have implications on who earns the right to play in Charlotte on December 6. Pitt is given the best chance to get there according to the Football Power Index. Right now, the Panthers are given a 10% shot to win the conference.
All seven teams in the division have non-conference games left this season, and then the meat of the schedule. Before the logjam that is ACC Coastal Standings fall into place everyone can grease the wheels once or twice more. Pitt gets home games against Iowa and Akron, which should push them to 5-0. UVA meets another hot team in BYU at Provo, with a chance to derail the Cougars unbeaten dreams. The Cavs get Kent State at home then it’s ACC all day.
Georgia Tech dives in head first against a hungry VA Tech. The Yellow Jackets finish the season in Athens against Georgia. The Hokies are in the middle of a three game stretch at home. Georgia Tech comes in after the East Carolina Pirates stunned Frank Beamer’s team. VA Tech will look to right the ship before getting the Western Michigan Broncos then ACC foes to finish out.
Duke is favored at home by 16.5 vs. Tulane. It’s the Blue Devils homecoming and should get them to 4-0. North Carolina and Miami (FL) each have two non-conference games left, and they can make noise with at least one win out of the four. UNC goes to East Carolina this Saturday to face a team that’s in the conversation to get to a New Year’s Six Bowl. Later, the Tar Heels head to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. Enough said.
The Miami Hurricanes go to Lincoln to take on Nebraska Saturday. The Huskers struggled against McNeese State but got it together on the road against Fresno State, 55-19. The Canes get Cincinnati at home on October 11, another popular pick to get to a New Year’s Bowl.
If the battle in Tallahassee goes the way it did last year, (aside from a first half suspension for Seminole quarterback Jameis Winston) Clemson could fall out of the Top-25. If the rest of the ACC stay on the outskirts of rankings, that would leave Florida State as the number one team in the land, but also the lone ranked team from the ACC. The remaining non-conference games, specifically the Coastal’s, will be crucial in getting positive national attention for the conference. Top to bottom, the Coastal is tough to peg. With two top dogs in the Atlantic, and Wake Forest appearing as the whipping boy, the division will likely fall into place, barring catastrophic upsets. With the Coastal, we’ve seen upsets already, so the table is set for a wild ride the rest of the way.
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