Hokies picked to finished third in ACC Coastal

The media's preseason picks for the ACC standings are in, and Virginia Tech is tabbed third in its division.

Not a HokieHaven.com subscriber? Join today for access to all our premium content and message board community.

North Carolina leads the way (and got a healthy majority of the first-place votes, shown in parentheses), while Miami was also picked ahead of Virginia Tech. The Hokies received three first-place votes. Duke was the only program that did not get at least one first-place vote. The full Coastal standings are projected like so:

1. North Carolina (109)
2. Miami (28)
3. #Hokies (3)
4. Pitt (1)
5. Virginia (2)
6. GT (4)
7. Duke

VT's chances to win the division should get a huge amount of clarity in the season's opening weekend. The Hokies welcome North Carolina to Lane Stadium Friday evening, and a win against the Tar Heels would immediately vault Virginia Tech up in the eyes of observers. A loss, however, would mean VT's chances to win the Coastal would depend upon at least two losses from UNC in the league.

After the opener, VT has four straight non-conference games (with a bye in the mix) to continue working out the kinks before a seven-game stretch to close the year against ACC opposition, including cross-divisional opponents Syracuse and Boston College.

Chat about this story and all things Hokies and Hokie recruiting on our premium message board, The Gobbler!