Virginia Tech left a lot of points on the field Thursday night at Pittsburgh, but the Hokies survived with a 39-36 victory because they are good but also Pitt’s pass defense is really bad.

So, what does this mean with respect to the Coastal Division race?

It means the Hokies (6-2, 4-1 ACC) are now clearly the team to beat. UNC (6-2, 4-1) had an edge in the schedule two weeks ago, but VT beat Miami last Thursday and this week picked up the win in the Steel City.

UNC now has a slightly tougher remaining ACC slate: Georgia Tech; at Duke; N.C. State to Tech’s of at Duke, and home versus Georgia Tech and Virginia.

What’s interesting is that Duke at home and Georgia Tech anywhere can beat both the Hokies and Tar Heels. So, this thing isn’t settled yet, there’s still a chance the Heels can win their second straight Coastal title.

But if that doesn’t happen there’s still a lot for the Heels to play for. Only twice in school history have the Heels won 10 or more games in consecutive seasons, and after going 11-3 a year ago, this season can mark the third times it’s happened.

In 1980, when a guy named Lawrence Taylor was wreaking havoc on defense, and 1981, when Kelvin Bryant was possibly on his way to the Heisman Trophy before suffering a knee injury, Carolina went 11-1 and 10-2, respectively.

Then, in 1996, with a freshman named Dre’ Bly picking off a nation’s best 13 passes (including 2 in the bowl game), and 1997, when a defense led by 3 first-round picks months later, the Tar Heels went 10-2 and 11-1, respectively.

UNC finished ranked in the Top-10 in all four seasons, so that’s a worthy, reachable goal this team can still attain.

In the end, this is about program building, and the best way to do that is win, generate positive attention, have players earn personal honors, and be afforded credibility by the masses. An 11-2 mark and top-10 finish with a quarterback who could go very high in the NFL draft next spring is the kind of season a program most certainly can build on. It will make Larry Fedora’s sale pitch a bit easier for prospects to embrace.

So, while there may be a lot of disappointment among Tar Heels fans, understand there is still a lot to play for regardless of what Virginia Tech does over the last month of the season.