Oct 17, 2011

Champs Sports Bowl Selection Update: Week 7

One week after Wake Forest shook up the ACC Atlantic division, the other side of
the conference experienced some upheaval. Two upsets in the Coastal changed the
face of the division race while the Atlantic returned (somewhat) to status quo.
Meanwhile, the Big East remains in a sort of limbo as contenders continue to
dance around each other.

ACC Results

Miami 30, UNC 24
Virginia 24, Georgia Tech 21
Virginia Tech 38, Wake
Forest 17
Clemson 56, Maryland 45
Florida State 41, Duke 16

Big East Results

Utah 26, Pittsburgh 14
Rutgers 21, Navy 20
UConn 16, USF 10
Cincinnati
25, Louisville 16

What we learned:

Georgia Tech still has work to do in the ACC: Until Saturday,
the Yellow Jackets’ biggest win came against Coastal foe North Carolina. With an
extra week to prepare for the triple option, Virginia handed GT its first loss
of the year in Charlottesville. the Jackets now travel to Miami and host Clemson
and Virginia Tech in the next four weeks. Their fortunes could change quickly if
they cannot rebound.

Miami could still make waves: After taking Virginia Tech to the
limit and upsetting UNC on the road, the Hurricanes are set up for a favorable
second-half stretch. All of their remaining six games take place in Florida.
Miami has Georgia Tech, Virginia, Duke and Boston College at home, with road
trips to Florida State and USF in November. They could possibly run the table
through that stretch and finish with nine wins.

The Big East will keep beating itself up: Besides any off-field
drama regarding realignment, the Big East championship picture remains a
mystery. West Virginia had a bye week and Rutgers played non-conference opponent
Navy. That gave Cincinnati a chance to climb the leaderboard with their first
conference win. Elsewhere, one-time contender USF is now the first team with two
conference losses. The Bearcats travel to the Bulls on Saturday in what could be
another eliminator game.

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