The ACC Coastal is wide open this year. North Carolina has won the last two and three of the last five against Miami. It has become a key game in the Coastal over the last few seasons. UNC and UM tied with Pittsburgh one game behind Georgia Tech for the division title last season.
Both teams will be debuting new quarterbacks this season. By the time they meet in week nine it could one of the biggest games of the season to decide the Coastal title.
Three games are the most likely candidates to challenge to host Gameday that week. Penn State at Ohio State, Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville and Georgia Tech at Clemson.
A week later Virginia Tech comes to Miami for the Hurricanes biggest rivalry game other than Florida State. Over the last ten years, Virginia Tech has mostly owned Miami.
The Hurricanes won three of four between 2012-15. VaTech righted the ship last season. With the ACC Coastal on the line, the Hokies throttled Miami 37-16.
Miami had won the two previous seasons against Virginia Tech. That included a 30-6 win in Blacksburg in 2015.
Virginia Tech and Miami entered the ACC together in 2004. The Hurricanes were only a few years removed from a Renaissance among the nation’s elite. The Hokies are the one that has dominated the ACC.