ACC Football: Three Impact Coastal Division Games in Week 5
Which ACC Football Coastal Division games are the biggest of the weekend?
At first glance, Week 5 may seem like a letdown in comparison. After two-straight weeks of four top 25 matchups, Week 5 brings only three.
However, all three are top ten matchups, including the first top-five matchup of the season. All three feature undefeated teams playing each other.
One of those games is in the Pac 12. Stanford travels to Washington. It is a game that will have a huge impact on the Pac 12 North as well as the Pac 12.
Another game is in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin will look to defeat its third top ten opponent of the season in Michigan. It will also be the second straight game in the state of Michigan for the Badgers.
The Final game is in the ACC.
The ACC had the first top ten matchup of the season. This week they will have the first top-five matchup of the season as well. Louisville travels to take on Clemson. If Louisville wins the Atlantic is probably theirs. If Clemson wins, chaos could still break out.
Speaking of ACC football, the conference went undefeated in non-conference play last week. With three non-conference games this week, can they do it again? Maybe, though only one of those games involves a Coastal team. So with two interdivisional games on the slate, let’s get started.
Miami at Georgia Tech (Saturday Oct 1st @ 12:00 pm)
Georgia Tech hasn’t played a true road game this season. Miami hasn’t played a Power Five team this season. Only one of those streaks comes to an end this weekend in Atlanta.
Who can get the win and step up in the Coastal race?
Things going for the Hurricanes: The run game. Miami ranks ninth nationally with 272 yards per game. Star running back Mark Walton is averaging 134 yards and 2 TDs a game.
Also, their run defense is stopping the run. Miami ranks fourth nationally holding opponents to a measly 65 yards per game. Miami’s head coach, Mark Richt, is very familiar with the triple option as he had to defend against it in his time at Georgia. Richt went 6-2 against Paul Johnson during that time.
Things going for the Yellow Jackets: Home Field. After the Clemson game I am really struggling to find a positive for Georgia Tech. Not only did they get beat by 19 at home, they only accumulated 124 total yards of offense.
They are 2-1 at home this season. Last season they were at home when they upset FSU on the infamous Block six. So if they are going to pull the upset the odds are better if the game is in Atlanta.
This game will go a far way in determining which of these teams are for real. A Tech win will speak louder than a Miami win, because the Canes are ranked.
If Miami loses a lot of critics will say they were over rated to begin with.
Seeing what Clemson did last week in Atlanta really gives the Canes a chance. If they run the ball and avoid turnovers, they should be able to get to 4-0.
Virginia at Duke (Saturday Oct 1st @ 12:30 pm)
Both teams are coming off big wins. Virginia’s was a home win against an undefeated MAC team. Duke’s was a road win against a previously formidable Notre Dame team. Which one can get the win and extend their streak to two?
Things going for the Cavaliers: QB Kurt Benkert. Benkert has been a surprise for Virginia. The Junior QB ranks 4th in the ACC and 20th in the nation with 1119 passing yards this season. In his last game against Central Michigan, he threw for 421 yards and five scores.
RB Taquan Mizzell has also broke out the last couple of weeks. Mizzell has over 100 total yards for two consecutive weeks. He had eight such games last season including six in a row. One of those games was against Duke. In that game he had 104 total yards and three touchdowns.
Things going for the Blue Devils: RB Jela Duncan. In Duke’s two wins this season Duncan has rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns. In their two losses, 78 yards and only one score. In other words, if Duke wants to get over .500 for the season they need to hand the ball to Duncan, early and often. Luckily for them, Virginia has allowed over 175 yards a game this season.
As crazy as this sounds, the game might have more bearings for Virginia than Duke. Sure if Duke wins they improve to 3-2 and .500 in the conference. It would definitely keep them in the Coastal hunt. However, Virginia has yet to play a conference game. A win would put them at the top of the standings and really change their season.
Either way, the winner of this game will be in Coastal contention. The loser will be looking at golfing brochures for the off season.
North Carolina at Florida State (Saturday Oct 1st @ 3:30 pm)
Both squads are 3-1 with losses to ranked power five schools away from home. The winner keeps their playoff dreams a live. If Florida State loses they’ll probably miss the ACC Championship game for the second straight season. If UNC loses they will have to do their damage against the Coastal once again. Which team can get the signature win to keep their dreams alive?
Things going for the Tar Heels: QB Mitch Trubisky. The Junior quarterback has 1306 passing yards and 10 touchdowns this season. His yardage total is good for 10th in the nation and third in the ACC. Trubisky is also the only QB in the nation with double-digit touchdowns and no interceptions.
The passing defense has also been pretty good. They are only allowing 184 yards per game and four total touchdowns. Also after only collecting 23 total sacks last season, they already have nine this season. The only negative has been zero interceptions. However, with a freshman QB, FSU might finally help the pass defense out in that.
Things going against the Tar Heels: The run defense. In case you haven’t been watching, UNC’s run defense is bad. Not only is it the tenth worst in the country, it is also the second worst Power five rush defense as well. On top of that they have also allowed 11 rushing touchdowns.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the offense has been lacking balance due to the running game. The UNC rushing offense is 100th in the nation with under 140 yards a game. One dimensional teams are a lot easier to beat. So if UNC wants to pull the upset they will need to get Elijah Hood and TJ Logan going.
The game will be two contradicting styles going at each other. Last week the Heels faced something similar and came out on top. This will also be the first time Larry Fedora has faced the Seminoles as head coach of the Tar Heels.
It will be Jimbo Fisher’s second time facing the Tar Heels. The first time was in 2010. The result was a 37-35 Tar Heels win in Tallahassee. Will history repeat itself?
If it does, the Heels and Fedora will finally get the signature win they have been looking for since last season.
One to keep an eye on: Marshall at Pittsburgh (Saturday Oct 1st @ 7:30 pm)
Pitt is coming off a heart breaking loss to UNC. The Panthers led the entire game except for the last two seconds. Can they rebound to beat a Marshall squad that has sprung a leak on defense? The Thundering Herd have allowed 124 points in their last two games.
That’s a point every 58 seconds.
Meanwhile the Pitt defense continues to be the Jekyll and Hyde of ACC Football. Their rush defense ranks sixth in the country at 61 yards per game. Their pass defense, however, ranks second to last in FBS.
The only other Coastal team is Virginia Tech who gets a bye this week. So that is seven teams and with that let’s get going with another amazing week of ACC football in the Coastal Division.