Only one game on tap for Tuesday night as the ACC clears the decks for the regular season marquee game Wednesday night between Duke and UNC. Here's a reality check for expansion: how much bigger a deal is Duke-UNC than the ACC football title game?
| ACC Standings | |||||
| Duke | 7-0 | 1.000 | 19-1 | .950 | 5 |
| North Carolina | 6-1 | .857 | 21-1 | .955 | 4 |
| Virginia Tech | 5-3 | .625 | 14-8 | .636 | 70 |
| Clemson | 4-3 | .571 | 16-5 | .762 | 27 |
| Maryland | 4-3 | .571 | 14-8 | .636 | 82 |
| NC State | 3-4 | .429 | 14-7 | .667 | 49 |
| Wake Forest | 3-4 | .429 | 13-7 | .650 | 72 |
| Boston College | 3-4 | .429 | 12-8 | .600 | 84 |
| Georgia Tech | 3-4 | .429 | 10-10 | .500 | 54 |
| Miami | 2-5 | .286 | 15-6 | .714 | 32 |
| Florida State | 2-6 | .250 | 13-10 | .565 | 71 |
| Virginia | 1-6 | .143 | 11-9 | .550 | 108 |
State hosts Virginia Tech, and with the exhilaration of the great escape Ben McCauley provided against Wake, it could be a really fun game. Toss in Virginia Tech's general sense of optimism, and it could be a barnburner. And why not? So many conference games have been.
Maryland is improving rapidly, too. The rest of the conference race is going to get even more intense. The ACC may or may not be down, but competitiveness is near an all-time high.
This could be a lost season for Virginia, but you know Sean Singletary's not giving up, and he is very capable of rallying his team.