CHAPEL HILL -- Now we know that North Carolina can't represent the Coastal Division in the ACC championship game. We also know that even if the Tar Heels finish first in the Coastal, the league won't recognize them as the official divisional champion.
Which is too bad, because entering the final month of the season UNC is - or would have been, I suppose - in a good position to win the division. With four weekends left in the regular season, the Coastal is wide open. Five teams, including UNC, are within a game of one another in the league standings.
Here's a look at those standings:
Duke - 3-2, 2-1
North Carolina - 3-2, 2-1
Miami - 3-2, 1-1
Virginia Tech - 2-2, 2-1
Georgia Tech - 2-3, 1-2
And here's a look at the remaining ACC schedules for each of those five teams, with the conference records for opponents in parentheses:
Duke
Clemson (4-1)
at Georgia Tech (2-3)
Miami (3-2)
Combined ACC record of remaining opponents: 9-6
North Carolina
Georgia Tech (2-3)
at Virginia (0-4)
Maryland (2-2)
Combined ACC record of remaining opponents: 4-9
Miami
Virginia Tech (2-2)
at Virginia (0-4)
at Duke (3-2)
Combined ACC record of remaining opponents: 5-8
Virginia Tech
at Miami (3-2)
Florida State (5-1)
at Boston College (1-4)
Virginia (0-4)
Combined ACC record of remaining opponents: 9-11
Georgia Tech
at Maryland (2-2)
at North Carolina (3-2)
Duke (3-2)
Combined ACC record of remaining opponents: 8-6
Judging by the remaining schedules, Duke has the most difficult road ahead, followed by Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami and UNC. The Tar Heels are likely to be the only Coastal Division team favored in all of their remaining conference games.
Here's my guess at how the conference race finishes ...
Duke - loses to both Clemson and Miami but beats Georgia Tech to finish 4-4.
UNC - loses to either Georgia Tech or Virginia but beats Maryland to finish 5-3.
Miami - loses to Virginia Tech but beats Virginia and Duke to finish 5-3.
Virginia Tech - loses to Florida State but beats Miami, Boston College and Virginia to finish 5-3
Georgia Tech - beats either Maryland or UNC but loses to Duke to finish 4-4.
So that would leave UNC, Miami and Virginia Tech all tied at 5-3. And, of course, the Tar Heels beat both the Hurricanes and Hokies, which means that UNC - if it were eligible - would go to Charlotte to play for the conference championship.
The unknown in all this is how the Tar Heels will handle the fact that they can't play in the postseason. Motivation hasn't been a problem all season for UNC but it's fair to wonder if it will become an issue entering the final month. Especially given the Heels just played - and won - their most important game.
-- Andrew Carter
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Where UNC stands in the ACC's Coastal Division race
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11 comments:
Last place. Just because the cheating is FINALLY paying off, they are still known as unc CHeat and have a debt to settle with the NCAA.
Can't wait for the basketball dominoes to fall.
What a waste of space since they can't win the Coastal and play in the ACCCG. So really they don't stand anywhere in the Coastal and it all doesn't matter, but nice try on pumping them up in this crappy liberal rag.
Crappy liberal rag that you read...
I just love the comments. State fans no your role, and go back to the peanut/tobacco fields and continue the plowing, thankyouverymuch. UNC cheated, got caught, and was severely punished. I know for ABC'ers that will never be enough though. They better hope as they hurl their rocks that they are not living in some glasses houses, 'cause karma can be a real b**ch
Amen brother - Karma is a b**ch - and it's coming to Raleigh soon. State fans spent countless hours adamantly chasing down any hint of impropriety with UNC football when UNC started getting much more talent quickly... Funny though - is the same thing not happening at MooU on the hardcourt these days???
Uh oh... watch your backs.... Those UNC kids may actually be smarter...
Another classic Tar Heels "woulda coulda shoulda" BS hypothetical article. I read the same thing 6 months ago when they were saying "if only Kendall Marshall was healthy, we'd have gone on to get waxed by UK" etc.
UNC football will find a way to screw it up, ineligible or not. Remember, the Holes haven't won an ACC title in ~35 years...
Meanwhile hated rival Duke leads the division.
It does my heart good to see all these little girl puppy fans commenting on this. It just shows how badly it hurt that the Heels wiped the field with you last weekend.
To all the MooU fans I will quote the geat IceT..."Go eat a giant bowl of dickk!!!"
DUKE Alumni here...
Hey unc, SHUT UP!
Anon @ 9:36: you better not be a state fan. because while UNC has not won an ACC title since 1980, that is one year sooner than the Wolfpack and Ted Brown
"Where UNC stands in the ACC's Coastal Division race"
Ummm...somewhere between "doesn't count", "asterisk", "who cares", and "not at the top"!
that is rather interesting and I had not looked at that way and I think that you made a very good and valid point on here!
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