It seems surreal now that we all had Al Groh fired after a season-opening 23-3 loss at Wyoming. Two months and seven straight wins later the Virginia Cavaliers are in position to win the Coastal Division, controlling their own destiny after Virginia Tech blew a 10-point lead in the waning moments of Thursday night’s game against undefeated Boston College.

The Cavs have tied a school record with their current winning streak, dating to 1990, 1949 and 1914, so why is Virginia heading to Raleigh this weekend just a three-point favorite against a 2-5 N.C. State team?

Simple.

Virginia is living on borrowed time, has been for the last three weeks, winning three games by a combined four points. That’s the first time in ACC history that’s happened.

The odds-makers still aren’t believers in the Cavs, and neither am I.

N.C. State’s defensive line is healthy again, limiting East Carolina to 72 yards on the ground in a surprising 34-20 win in Greenville. Meanwhile, Virginia has gained more than 121 rushing yards in each of their seven wins. Who wins the line of scrimmage in this one will determine the outcome. And Daniel Evans is picking a good time to mature as N.C. State’s signal-caller.

Because of the unbalanced ACC schedule since expansion, the Cavs haven’t been to Carter-Finley Stadium since November 2003. That resulted in a 51-37 loss in a shootout between Philip Rivers and Matt Schaub. This matchup won’t be as high scoring but should produce the ACC upset of the week.

Final Score: N.C. State 28, Virginia 20.