2017 ACC Football: Coastal Division Power Rankings week 10

Carolina in My Mind

Did you really think I would pick a different James Taylor song for UNC than this? I know the Tar Heels playing great but seriously, this was a no brainer.

UNC was overdue for a bye week.

With their injuries piling up, the Tar Heels were barely able to field a team the past few weeks, even if they did give Miami a scare a couple weeks ago.

The bye week also came at a good time for Nathan Elliott. The new presumed starter got an extra week of reps to prepare for the Tar Heels next game, a Thursday night showdown at Pitt, and UNC’s best chance at a conference win this season.

Like North Carolina, Duke was also on bye this week and like the Tar Heels, the bye came at a good time for the Blue Devils.

Duke entered their bye week on five-game losing streak. Duke is still two wins shy of bowl eligibility and still, have three tough games left on their schedule.

The Blue Devils come out of their bye to play Army. The Black Knights are usually a win for most teams, but unlike Duke, Army has won five straight and look like a tough out this time around.

If I was doing boy band groups instead of country groups then I could’ve picked NSYNC’s “Bye, Bye, Bye” this week which would’ve fit perfectly as Pittsburgh was also on a bye. Unlike the other two teams though, Pitt entered their bye on a two-game winning streak.

If the Panthers can win two out of three, they will make a bowl game, which would be quite a turnaround for a squad that looked worse than the Tar Heels not long ago. Speaking of UNC, that is the Panther’s next opponent this coming Thursday.

Before moving on I want to say that the ACC did Thursday games right this year with both teams coming off a bye. The NFL really should look at this if they really want a better product in future seasons.