Virginia has won just two of its first six games, but the Cavaliers have an opportunity to be an obstacle to the top Coastal Division contenders.
UVA’s remaining schedule includes home games against North Carolina and Miami and a pair of crossover Atlantic Division games at home against Louisville and on the road at Wake Forest. The Wahoos will round out their schedule with trips to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
Unlike the Atlantic Division, the Coastal Division is a free-for-all, with UNC, Pitt, Virginia Tech and UVA all sitting with one loss heading into Virginia Tech’s home game against Miami.
Virginia will first get a chance to upset North Carolina, which it hasn’t beaten since 2009 — the last year of Al Groh’s tenure.
The Tar Heels broke a 14-game losing streak at Scott Stadium in 2010 and hasn’t looked back, beating the Cavaliers six straight times.
The Cavaliers have history on their side heading into their Nov. 12 showdown with Miami. UVA managed to beat Miami four out of the six times it faced the Canes under Mike London, including three straight victories in Charlottesville.
As most UVA fans know, the Cavaliers haven’t beaten Virginia Tech since 2003. They’ve dropped 16 out of the last 17 games going back to the Hokies’ undefeated 1999 regular season that resulted in Virginia Tech’s lone BCS National Championship Game appearance. For now, Tech is the team to beat in the Coastal Division, even after last weekend’s loss at Syracuse.
On Nov. 26, the Cavaliers can not only end the school’s dreadful losing streak against the Hokies, but hand them a loss that could ruin their chances of returning to the ACC Championship Game.
At 2-4, Virginia is a long shot to clinch its first bowl berth since 2011, but spoiling the division title hopes of one of its Coastal rivals wouldn’t be a terrible consolation prize.