CHAPEL HILL – College football division races can sometimes be cause for strange rooting interests.

For example, most of North Carolina’s football players have no connection to the University of Pittsburgh other than that Pitt is still a relatively new member of the ACC and resides in the Coastal Division, the same as the Tar Heels.

But last Thursday night, everyone on the roster was rooting as hard for Pitt to defeat Virginia Tech, which holds a tiebreaker with UNC in the Coastal Division. But if the Heels win out and the Hokies lose one of their remaining conference games, Carolina will play in the ACC championship game for a second consecutive season.

“I was pulling for them,” UNC head coach Larry Fedora said Monday, smiling.

Junior defensive tackle Naz Jones tweeted throughout the game, not missing a single play.

“Pitts, Dukes, Virginia, whoever else, Notre Dame. That probably won’t help us, but we just want to see them lose,” Jones said. “I was a cheerleader during the Pitt game, I didn’t turn the channel once.”

Virginia Tech defeated Pittsburgh, pulling away late in the fourth quarter to seal the game up in the Steal City. The Hokies and Tar Heels are both 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC.

UNC hosts Georgia Tech this weekend before playing its final road game of the season next Thursday at Duke before closing out with The Citadel and N.C. State at Kenan Stadium. Virginia Tech visits Duke this weekend before hosting Georgia Tech and finishing at home versus Virginia.

Junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky also wants the Hokies to lose, but he’s also taking a different approach to the matter.

“Yeah, sort of, you want to see it work out in our favor so we get a shot at the ACC championship,” Trubisky said. “But, I know God has a plan and it’s going to work out however it’s going to work out.”

Senior cornerback Des Lawrence wasn’t as reserved in revealing his interests. He also recognizes the quandary the Heels will be in this weekend.

“Last week, everybody on this team was a Pitt Panthers fan,” Lawrence said, laughing lightly. “Whoever else Virginia Tech plays, we’re going to be their fan.”

Even Duke, the Hokies’ opponent this weekend?

“It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be hard,” he said. “But we’re going to pull for the team in blue – dark blue – to be able to help us out.”