Virginia Tech Hokies Favored to Win ACC Coastal Division While Virginia, Georgia Tech Among Teams Playing for Second
Virginia Tech is the overwhelmingly heavy favorite to win the Coastal for the third straight year and the fifth time in the past six years, according to Bovada Sportsbook.
Over the last several years, no team in the ACC has been able to plug holes better than Frank Beamer‘s Hokies, who are listed at 10-11 odds to win the division. The absence of key departures like New York Giants first-round pick David Wilson and third-round pick Jayron Hosely will likely make less of an impact on Beamer’s squad than on other teams.
Quarterback Logan Thomas will be leading the team in 2012. NFL scouts are already frothing over Thomas, as he’s arguably the best quarterback in the conference and a large reason why this team will be so dangerous.
The scary news with Virginia Tech is that the Hokies have nine starters returning on a defense that is already stout. Last season, question marks surrounded the offense and the defense had plenty of new faces. This year, the offense should be improved under Thomas, and the defense has already taken its lumps. The Hokies are ready for a three-peat.
The bigger story in the ACC Coastal, however, is that the Hokies don’t have much competition..
The Duke Blue Devils, who were given 30-1 odds to win the division, have been trying to rebuild for years, but they’re still a basketball school first and foremost. They may be better under head coach David Cutcliffe, but just marginally.
Meanwhile, the Miami Hurricanes, who once reigned supreme in the ACC, are still trying to pick up the pieces from several off-the-field scandals. They have 9-2 odds of winning the division. Coach Al Golden is moving into his second season with the program, and with three road games in their first four weeks (two of which are at Kansas State and Georgia Tech), the Hurricanes could be looking at a .500 season at best. They also have Notre Dame, Florida State and South Florida on the schedule, so expect plenty of growing pains for this young but talented team.
North Carolina, given 11-2 odds to win the Coastal Division, is heading in a new direction with Larry Fedora taking over the program. The Tar Heels will carry over a good base of talent, but they’re short on depth, and they’ve always been short on consistency.
In Charlottesville, the Cavaliers face high expectations for the first time in a while, with 13-2 odds of winning. Virginia won eight games in 2011 and could do the same in 2012. Can they take another step forward for Mike London? The talent is clearly improving, but several early tests on the schedule will tell us all we need to know. They Cavaliers face Penn State, Georgia Tech and TCU in three of their first four games. If they want to sit at the big boys’ table, they’ll have to prove they deserve it. Even a 2-1 record in those three games may be enough.
Lastly, the 2012 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets look like Paul Johnson‘s best unit to date — especially with all five starting offensive linemen back — and go off at 6-1 odds to win the division. Eight starters are back on defense, but the unit was gashed badly down the stretch in 2011. The Jackets allowed an average of 27.7 points per game in their last seven and never allowed less than 17 in that span. Their schedule is a bit more challenging than Virginia Tech’s, as the Yellow Jackets have to travel to Blacksburg, Death Valley and Athens.
Unless a dark horse like Virginia or Georgia Tech exceeds expectations and Virginia Tech falls off the map, don’t expect anyone other than the Hokies to win the ACC Coastal.
