ACC Football: Three impact Coastal Division games in week 1
Which ACC Football Coastal Division games are the biggest of the weekend?
Whether you like the new College Football Playoff or not, you have to give it this much, it has led to a whole lot more entertaining non conference games.
Teams have learned that you can’t schedule a bunch of cupcakes and hope the conference season is enough. You have to play tough games, even if you dont necessarily win them (see Ohio State).
Week one of the 2017 College Football season is no different. Ten of the top 25 ranked teams are playing non conference power five schools to start the weekend. Three of those games even feature two top 25 teams going mano e mano.
Two of those teams hail from the SEC and two more from the ACC.
The first match-up will see an No. 11 Michigan starting 17 new players going up against a No. 17 ranked Florida squad that has now suspended 10 players for opening weekend. T
he team names may be recognizable, but the players may not.
The second match-up is considered one of the greatest opening games ever. Top ranked Alabama will take on No. 3 Florida State in the annual Chick-Fil-A kickoff game.
Both teams are early faves to make the playoffs, so a loss doesn’t hurt, but a win is a huge help.
The third contest involves a team from the Big 12 versus a team from the ACC Coastal. So without further ado, lets delve into our first three impact games of the season starting with the aforementioned match-up.
West Virginia vs Virginia Tech (Sunday, September 3rd @ 7:30 pm)
Virginia Tech is coming off a 10-4 season that saw them win the ACC Coastal and a bowl game.
West Virginia meanwhile, is coming off a 10-3 season that saw them finish second in the Big 12.
Which team can get the win in a rematch of an old Big East rivalry?
Things going for the Hokies: High expectations following a big season. The Hokies have not been ranked to start the season since 2012. Considering some of the losses, this is fairly impressive and could be a boost to the team.
Things going against the Hokies: New faces. As I mentioned in my power rankings, Virginia Tech is replacing starters at quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end. Those are all key positions and how the team replaces those players will go a long way to whether they win this game.
The game is being played in Maryland at FedEx Field home of the Redskins, so there isn’t really any home field advantage for either team. Both squads are coming off big seasons so the winner will go a long way to supporting those high expectations.
With a neutral location, talent often dictates between fairly even units. Neither team is returning their starting quarterback. The Hokies do have the advantage traditionally on defense, so I would lean with Virginia Tech in this one.
Tennessee vs Georgia Tech (Monday, September 4th @ 8:00 pm)
Both teams finished 2016 strong and with a bowl win. The Volunteers won four of their last five to finish 9-4 and tied for first in the SEC East. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech won six of their last seven to get into a bowl game after missing one the season before.
Things going for the Yellow Jackets: Neutral Home game. The contest is being played in the new Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Though not home to the Yellow Jackets, it is less than two miles away from where Georgia Tech plays.
Though Tennessee fans will surely flock, this is still an advantage for Tech.
Things going against the Yellow Jackets: The losses to the run game. Georgia Tech has lost a lot of what made the triple option so effective last year. Having the right players step up will be key if the Yellow Jackets have any shot of pulling the upset.
The game is the second Chick-fil-a Kickoff of opening weekend and is clearly a huge downgrade from the first.
However, there is still a chance for an ACC upset.
If Dedrick Mills was still on the team, I might lean that way, but it would be hard to go against Tennessee in this opening match-up.
Cal at North Carolina (Saturday, September 2nd @ 12:20 pm)
Both teams are coming off disappointing seasons hoping to start off strong in 2017. Which team can get enough out of a new quarterback to win the game?
Things going for the Tar Heels: Uncertainty. As I mentioned in my review of the depth chart, there are a lot of question marks among several key positions.
This can be looked at one of two ways.
First, it can be seen as a negative as no one has really stood out and that could lead to stagnation on the offense and among the defensive line.
Or it can be seen as strength and mystery. The reason no decisions have been made is because every one is so good, they can’t decide. It also creates mystery making it harder for Cal to game plan against the Tar Heels.
Things going against the Tar Heels: History in big games. Fedora has not done well in big games and though Cal is not of the same caliber of some of the teams in the past, they are still a non conference Power five squad.
Remember the Tar Heels lost the 2015 opener to a South Carolina squad that couldn’t even beat the Citadel. Additionally Fedora is just 2-8 in non conference Power Five match-ups. Things will need to change if UNC is to get their first opening win over a Power Five squad since 1997.
The game is at Chapel Hill and Cal is not a super Power Five squad. In fact they seem to be closer to Illinois, the team Fedora has beaten for both his Power five wins. Unless the Heels really can’t move the ball on offense, UNC should win this one.
One to keep an eye on: FCS Pick ’em
As I normally do here I throw in one more for the road. However, the other four teams are all playing FCS squads and none of them should be upsets.
The most dangerous ones involve Duke and North Carolina Central and Pitt against a Youngstown St team that was the FCS runner up last season.
But in the end those two squads along with Miami and Virginia should be putting their second and third teams in long before the game is over.
Well that does it for this weeks edition of impact games in the ACC Coastal. Get ready because football is finally here and we no longer have to guess how teams will do, we will get to see it.