Does anyone want to win the ACC’s Atlantic Division? After the three leaders all lost on Saturday, allowing Clemson to still have life, you really have to wonder. Right now, Florida State still sits on top, but North Carolina State and Maryland may have something to say about it. The Wolfpack has to play Maryland, and the Terps still have Florida State on the schedule as well. Clemson still has a shot if it wins out and is tied with any one of the three teams currently in front of it-it would own the tiebreaker over the Seminoles, Terrapins or the Wolfpack as it would have beaten all three of them head to head. To do that, a win against the Seminoles on Saturday is important. It’s also possible-the Seminoles have now lost two straight after winning five in a row.
Over at the Coastal Division, it seems the division is Virginia Tech’s to lose, after their win over Georgia Tech. However, they aren’t completely out of the woods just yet. With two road games next up against Miami and North Carolina, each of whom are two behind in the loss column in the division, wins will still be important for the Hokies. The Hokies have now won seven straight and appear at the moment to be the best team in the conference-no mean feat after losing to James Madison earlier in the season. Nothing can be taken for granted in this conference, particularly when North Carolina, between injuries and suspensions, still finds a way to win games. Beating Virginia Tech will be a tough task for the Tar Heels on Saturday, even playing at home.
With the number of games dwindling on the schedule, it’s time to look at who might be going to bowl games. Six ACC teams are already bowl eligible: Virginia Tech, Florida State, N.C. State, Maryland, North Carolina and Miami. Clemson and Georgia Tech are one win away from bowl eligibility. Boston College has to win two of its last three, and Duke and Virginia would have to win all of their remaining games. Only Wake Forest is eliminated from bowl participation so far.
Coming up next week is a full slate of conference games featuring the previously mentioned Tigers-Seminoles and Hokies-Tar Heels matchups. Elsewhere, Miami goes to Georgia Tech in what could be a battle of backup quarterbacks, Duke hosts Boston College as both teams try to get closer to bowl eligibility, the Wolfpack hosts Wake Forest and Maryland travels to Charlottesville to take on the Cavaliers.
