Pitt returned the favor to Carolina. Ugh.

I can just envision Larry Fedora having his team over to the football center Thursday night to watch Virginia Tech at Pitt in the Tar Heels’ best chance to regain control of the Coastal Division as they head into their off weekend.

In order for Carolina to control its own destiny for the rest of the season, the Hokies have to lose another game, and their visit to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh was their toughest ACC encounter left on the schedule.

As you know by now, VaTech eked out a 39-36 victory, fueled a bunch of those lob, jump ball passes to their tall wide receivers that we saw in Kenan Stadium during the hurricane game of 2016. Pitt had some dynamic throw and catch plays down the middle of the field, and James Connor ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns. But the Hokies suddenly turned into a passing team and held on to win.

Pitt was no longer a threat to Carolina because it still has games at Miami and Clemson and the Tar Heels beat the Panthers back in September. That miraculous 14-point comeback win in the last six minutes stung Pitt, and it certainly returned the favor to UNC by losing at home to Virginia Tech, another game it would like to have back.

So, Carolina fans are left almost hopeless that the Hokies will lose at Duke on November 5 or to Georgia Tech or Virginia at home in their last two ACC games. Fat chance. They have lost to Duke two of the last three years and are way better than the Blue Bellies this season. And they aren’t losing at home to the Yellow Jackets or Cavaliers, ACC also-rans, with the Coastal Division title in sight.

Fedora’s bunch can win out, finish 10-2 and go to a pretty good bowl game. But it is long odds that they will first play in the ACC championship game again, this year moved to Orlando thanks to HB2. The only saving grace of that development is that Tar Heels fans who planned to go will save a bunch of jack not having to fly to Florida and dropping a few hundred more if they took their kids and went to see Mickey Mouse at Disney World. “Oh, boy!”