Virginia plays Duke for the ACC championship on Saturday evening in Charlotte.
In football.
Yep, football, in Bank of America Stadium.
Not in the Spectrum Center, where the two schools have faced off a few times on the hardwood.
If there weren’t so much riding on this for Virginia, and with the ACC rooting for Duke to lose, it would be more fun.
A Blue Devil win is the last thing the suits at ESPN and ACC want to see.
The very last.
ICYMI
- College Football Playoff Update: Virginia is win-and-in; JMU will be rooting for Duke
- Does the ACC need Virginia to win on Saturday? It would be nice, but …
- ACC Football: How we got to Virginia-Duke in the ACC Championship Game
Duke, the sparkle in the eyes of anyone who’s ever worn a suit at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, for its prowess on the hardwood, cannot, under any circumstances, beat Virginia Saturday night.
Thanks to a regular season marked by poor losses, bad timing, and ineffective coaching, the ACC could be on the verge of missing the College Football Playoff entirely.
Please don’t dismiss it; it could happen.
Which is why the folks at ESPN, which has exclusive rights to the CFP, for once, won’t be rooting for Duke.
Saturday night, the TV folks, the folks in the Charlotte ACC headquarters and presidents and ADs across the country will be rooting so passionately for UVA that Duke will, for all intents and purposes, be seen as the enemy.
Forget that the game itself is viewed as flawed.
Neither Duke nor Virginia faced Miami, which most of the nation considers the best team in the conference.
Yet the Hurricanes will be home watching on TV, and may quite possibly be left out of the CFP entirely.
If Virginia wins on Saturday, then all ACC sins are forgiven. At 11-2 and as ACC champions, they will be seeded 11th and included in the CFP field – much to the delight of ESPN.
But a Duke win, and all hell breaks loose.
Because, even as ACC champs, Duke’s not going to be included in the field.
Hard to believe I’m writing this, but we all know that ESPN/ABC won’t let the CFP selection committee give the Dookies a spot at the CFP table.
Just imagine that.
The ACC might still sneak in through the backdoor of the CFP with an at-large bid: Miami is ranked No. 12 in the latest CFP standings – five spots ahead of Virginia.
Miami is idle this weekend (we understand why). A loss by BYU in the Big 12 title game could open the door a bit more for the Hurricanes.
Also, an Alabama loss in the SEC Championship Game gives the Hurricanes a bit more of an opening, maybe from having a toe in the door to a couple of toes.
Apart from that, the only notable thing is that Virginia is favored by 3½ points over Duke this Saturday.
It’s interesting that Duke has never been more of an underdog this season than against UVA on Saturday.
Very interesting, indeed.
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