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The ACC Coastal Division Race Update

The Miami Hurricanes are the only team in the ACC Coastal Divison to not play a conference game in 2022. What can they expect from the rest of their division rivals based on their remaining schedules?

NCAA Football: Miami at North Carolina Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

With a fresh slate in ACC play, the Miami Hurricanes need to put the last two games behind them. With a bye week put right before they begin their conference schedule, they should have the ability to do so and give themselves a chance to win the Coastal Division.

Winning the division shouldn’t be more complicated than just winning their games and having a better record than every other team. But we all know that is unlikely to happen. With bad games and Clemson on the schedule, it is likely we all need to watch other teams closely.

So here is how the rest of the Coastal Division’s schedules play out and where things can go from here, in order of where they currently rank in the standings.

Duke Blue Devils; 4-1 (1-0)

Remaining Schedule:

@ Georgia Tech

VS North Carolina

@ Miami

@ Boston College

VS Virginia Tech

@ Pittsburgh

VS Wake Forest

Before the season, Duke was voted as the last place team and the only program that didn’t receive at least one first-place vote. They currently sit on top of the standings with a 1-0 record in the ACC.

With four remaining road games and a home game against Wake Forest, we could see the Blue Devils fall down the standings a little bit. But even if they lose a few games, there are some winnable games too. And the Coastal Division could beat one another up, opening the door for a 5-3 record to possibly win the division.

North Carolina Tar Heels; 4-1 (1-0)

Remaining Schedule:

@ Miami

@ Duke

VS Pittsburgh

@ Virginia

@ Wake Forest

VS Georgia Tech

VS NC State

Miami’s next opponent, North Carolina is also 1-0 in the ACC. They have four road games and their cross-divisional matchups are against Wake Forest and NC State, two of the better teams in the conference.

The Tar Heels have a pretty tough schedule the rest of the way. But they are also another team that controls their destiny and can find their way to a spot in the ACC Championship game by beating all the Coastal teams. But that is why the Hurricanes must win most, if not all of their games against division rivals.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets; 2-3 (1-1)

Remaining Schedule:

VS Duke

VS Virginia

@ Florida State

@ Virginia Tech

VS Miami

@ North Carolina

@ Georgia

After firing their head coach and athletic director, Georgia Tech went on the road and upset Pittsburgh. They opened their season with a loss to Clemson, where they looked pretty solid for three quarters.

They have six remaining ACC games, three on the road and three at home. If they play as well as they did against the Panthers, watch out for a Yellow Jackets team that is playing with a chip on their shoulders. We will know much more about them after this weekend when they host Duke.

Virginia Tech Hokies; 2-3 (1-1)

Remaining Schedule:

@ Pittsburgh

VS Miami

@ NC State

VS Georgia Tech

@ Duke

@ Liberty

VS Virginia

With a win over Boston College and a loss to North Carolina, Virginia Tech sits at 1-1. They have a tough stretch coming up with games on the road against Pittsburgh and NC State and a home game against Miami.

With losses to Old Dominion and West Virginia, it is unlikely the Hokies will be competing for a Coastal crown this season, but they can derail other teams’ hopes for doing so.

Pittsburgh Panthers; 3-2 (0-1)

Remaining Schedule:

VS Virginia

@ Louisville

@ North Carolina

VS Syracuse

@ Virginia

VS Duke

@ Miami

After the Hurricanes, Pittsburgh was the next team in line as the favorite to win the Coastal in 2022. The Panthers would repeat as the division champion, but they will have to earn it. After losing a game at home as 21.5-point favorites to Georgia Tech, they began their ACC schedule on the wrong foot.

With huge losses to their offense from last season, it seems like Pittsburgh isn’t nearly the same team they were when they won the ACC in 2021. With road games against Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia, and Miami, they don’t have an easy remaining schedule either. They also get Syracuse, one of the better teams in the conference so far this year.

Virginia Cavaliers; 2-3 (0-2)

Remaining Schedule:

VS Louisville

@ Georgia Tech

VS Miami

VS North Carolina

VS Pittsburgh

VS Coastal Carolina

@ Virginia Tech

With two of their road games out of the way already, Virginia is in a tough spot at 0-2. They do have a relatively favorable schedule the rest of the way though, with just two road games against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

If Brennan Armstrong and the Cavaliers can find some of their magic from last season, they could work their way back into the mix if the division begins to get messy. With the three most talented teams in the coastal having to play at Virginia, they could give themselves a shot at least.