Duke and UNC are in the Race for ACC Coastal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Duke Blue Devils (4-2, ACC 2-1) and North Carolina Tar Heels (3-3, ACC 2-1) are in the race for the de facto, single-elimination, ACC Coastal Division title. 

Every school, except for Georgia Teach (1-5, ACC 0-3), is in the running and the Blue Devils and Tar Heels are tied at the top of the Coastal leaderboard with Virginia (4-2, ACC 2-1), but Carolina is the only team who hasn’t lost a divisional game. 

The last time North Carolina won the Coastal was in 2015 when they went undefeated, 8-0, in league play. Carolina plays Virginia Tech (4-2, ACC 1-2) tomorrow in Blacksburg, Va., at 3:30 p.m. Virginia Tech is the only school to win the Coastal in consecutive seasons this decade, 2010-11, and the only team besides Carolina to finish undefeated in league play. 

“Every Sunday you kind of recap where you are,” said Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown Wednesday after practice. “We put up the records. We put up the standings in the Coastal. We put up the bowls that are out there for us to go to. And then we took it down and said, ‘Now, you have to play.’  

“And then we talked to them today about it. It shouldn’t be pressure; it should be pleasure. … I don’t want them to feel pressure about the Coastal, and I don’t want them to feel pressure about a bowl. I want us to get good. And if you practice really good each day, then you can become a great team at some point.” 

The Duke Blue Devils won the Coastal in 2013, but they lost 45-7 in the ACC Championship to the Florida State Seminoles who went on to win the BCS National Championship. Duke travels to Charlottesville, Va., to play Virginia at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow in a battle for first place. 

“This is set up time if you want to be a November football team,” said Duke head coach David Cutcliffe on Tuesday. “I’ve certainly talked with them about that. Virginia’s saying the same thing to their guys. It’s a huge football ball game for both of us. These are the games you want to play in. It’s an opportunity that you just don’t seize it Saturday. You better seize it; today, Thursday, Friday, because it is about your preparation. It is about your focus, and if you want games to remain big, and bigger, you gotta play well in these games, but I think it’s a fun thing for our team, and I thought our focus this morning was outstanding.” 

North Carolina and Duke control their destiny, and if either team wins out, they’ll be in the ACC Championship game, most likely against Clemson, on Dec. 7 at Bank of America Stadium. 

Below are the remaining schedules for ACC teams (Week 8 and on)

(Feature image courtesy of Lawrence Davis)