news-record.com

Unlike the SEC and Big 12, which were easily distinguished by demarcations of latitude and longitude, the ACC had to wing it when creating its separate-but-equal divisions, the Atlantic and the Coastal. There was no convenient way to split teams, which makes it difficult for the casual fan to keep things straight.

That's why today is an important teaching tool. Just remember this: The day's biggest games, Wake Forest-Florida State (Atlantic) and Virginia Tech-North Carolina (Coastal), take on added significance because they are intra-divisional matchups. (The winner gets a cushion that feels like two games -- one for the actual result, another for the tie-breaker benefit. The loser is chasing its tail for two months.)

So if we know that Wake and FSU are grouped with each other, and that the Hokies and Tar Heels are paired in the opposite division, we're already a third through the maze.

Today at 3:30, we'll see a Coastal clash that thankfully has nothing to do with hurricanes. It represents the Tar Heels' first real chance to think big since expansion created the divisions in 2005.

The Heels' 44-12 victory at Rutgers last week was their most lopsided road triumph since 2001. If they beat the Hokies -- and that's far from a certainty -- they'll be 1-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2000. They haven't been 3-0 since the 1997 team won its first eight games.

If things fall right elsewhere, UNC may find itself in another unfamiliar but pleasant spot. The Tar Heels, currently 31st, haven't been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since Oct. 28, 2001, when they were 22nd. One hundred and ten surveys have been released since then. Of the other 65 BCS programs, only six have a longer active AP drought.

The Hokies have won the Coastal in two of their first three years, and they just dispatched Georgia Tech, which claimed the division in 2006. The road to Tampa includes Blacksburg, Va., even if the Hokies aren't there this week.

Want more? Next week, UNC coach Butch Davis returns to Miami, where he built the core of a program that would win a national title after his departure. It's another intra-Coastal affair. Dolphins Stadium might actually have some seats occupied -- particularly if UNC shows up as front-runner.

Lest we forget the Atlantic Division, Florida State seems intent on announcing its relevance again as Wake Forest prepares for the burning spears and face paint of Doak Campbell Stadium. The Demon Deacons won 30-0 there in 2006, a result that stamped them as serious contenders for the ACC title they ultimately won. Two days later, the son of the iconic head coach announced he would step aside as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator, having grown weary of hearing his children taunted at school. Florida State played in something called the Emerald Bowl that season.

"I just have to convince our players, and I don't think I'll have trouble with that," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. "It won't be hard to remember (30-0)."

The presumption of revelry helps explain why the visitors are four-point underdogs while rated six spots ahead of the home team in the AP poll.

"If you can't get excited to play in that stadium or to play the Seminoles," Deacons coach Jim Grobe said, "you've got to change sports."

The beauty of being a fan is you don't have to change or choose, but you must pay attention to grasp the complexities of 12-team, two-division organization. Thankfully, the schedule helps out every now and then.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com