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ACC ELIMINATES DIVISIONS; VA TECH TO PLAY UVA, PITT, WAKE FOREST ANNUALLY

By Rick Alder

Nov 9, 2019; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies tight end James Mitchell (82) celebrates his fourth quarter touch down against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lee Luther Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2019; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies tight end James Mitchell (82) celebrates his fourth quarter touch down against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lee Luther Jr.-USA TODAY Sports /
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This past summer, the ACC announced a monumental change in how the college football schedules will be put together moving forward by announcing the elimination of divisions. The Coastal and Atlantic Divisions will be eliminated in favor of a new system that allows teams to play 3 “rivalry” games each year, with the remaining teams being played on a rotational basis. Each team will play the league’s other ten teams two times each over a four year period, for one road game and one home game. The top two teams, based on the winning percentage within the overall conference, will now meet in the Subway ACC Football Championship Game in Charlotte, rather than the game being a meeting of the two division winners. This new format will begin in 2023.

For the Hokies, the annual “rivalry” games will be with the University of Virginia, University of Pittsburgh and Wake Forest University.  From this list, the main takeway is the fact that the Hokies will continue to play UVA each year, which is an important game for bragging rights within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Many Hokie fans will likely be disappointed by the fact that the two other “rivalry” games are Pitt and Wake Forest, when fans would likely prefer North Carolina and Miami. With that said, the interest in the 2022 schedule will only increase, with games at North Carolina in week 5 (October 1) and with Miami coming to town in week 7 (October 15). Although the Tarheels had a disappointing season in 2021, the Hokies will travel to Chapel Hill hoping to continue their dominance of the series since Virginia Tech joined the ACC in 2004. The Miami home game will be especially of interest, when new head coach Mario Cristobal and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke brings the Hurricanes to town in an attempt to reclaim the glory days of old. While these teams will remain opponents on a rotational basis, Hokie fans will savor these matchups in 2022 before the new format takes effect.