North Carolina Tar Heels: The Door Opens Slightly With VT Loss
The North Carolina Tar Heels were let back into the ACC Coastal race by a Virginia Tech loss to Georgia Tech.
The North Carolina Tar Heels were given a sliver of hope yesterday. On Thursday night it seemed that the Heels had blown their chance at an ACC Coastal Division title with a one point loss to rival Duke. However the weekend proved that many teams had caught the upset sickness. Clemson, Michigan, Washington, Auburn, and even Appalachian State fell over the weekend.
None of those matchups did anything about the fate of the Heels. The one game that did was the matchup between Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. The battle of the Techs resulted in victory for the Yellow Jackets and added a second conference loss for the Hokies. Thus the Coastal standings are once again all square heading into the last matchups of the season.
It does paint the Duke loss as something of a disappointment since the Tar Heels would be in control of their own fate had they won. However there is still one more chance for the Heels. If they beat State around Thanksgiving and Virginia Tech loses to Virginia then a trip to Orlando could still be theirs. Of course the Hokies hold the tiebreaker, so if both teams win it will be Virginia Tech in command.
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Can Virginia do it? The Cavaliers have spent the season converting their offense into a more spread based system based on throwing the ball everywhere. The Hokies destroyed the East Carolina Pirates earlier this season but lost to the Syracuse Orange so their record in handling that kind of system is mixed. Perhaps the Hokies should pray for rain.
Do not mistake Virginia having the ability to win as them being the favorite. The Cavaliers are not last in the Coastal Division for nothing. It would take a monster game from Kurt Benkert and especially his offensive line to make it happen.
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The Tar Heels are not off the hook either. They would need to beat NC State on the last week of the season. State is currently 5-5 and could need the game to get a bowl bid. They also have snuck up on the Heels in the past. Fortunately the Tar Heels have the Citadel game this coming week to get their heads straight.