Bracketology 2024: Latest Bubble Watch of key teams in mid-February
By Joey Loose
Virginia (19-6) (NET: 32)
2-3 (Q1), 4-2 (Q2), 7-1 (Q3), 6-0 (Q4)
A neutral-site win over Florida in the opening week of the season sits as a Quad 1 win and has aged nicely. Home wins over Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, and Miami haven’t aged as well, though the Cavaliers recently got another Quad 1 win at Clemson in early February.
What really hurts is the 22-point road loss to Notre Dame, a Quad 3 defeat, back right before New Year’s. Additionally, Quad 2 losses came at NC State in early January and a double-digit loss to Pittsburgh at home just this week. That loss to the Panthers was not only disappointing but ended an 8-game winning streak.
Virginia must shake off this stinker against the Panthers. Five of their remaining six games are currently Quad 1 or 2 opportunities, with matchups still remaining against both North Carolina (at home) and Duke (on the road). If they continue winning against their ACC foes, they’ll ensure a spot in the dance.
Wake Forest (16-8) (NET: 39)
0-4 (Q1), 5-4 (Q2), 5-0 (Q3), 6-0 (Q4)
The lack of a Quad 1 win really hurts the Demon Deacons. They have a plethora of Quad 2 wins on the resume, notably beating Florida back in late December. They had a nice stretch early in ACC play, with wins double-digit wins against Virginia and Virginia Tech and a few other nice performances.
None among these eight losses really make you scratch your head, though the Demon Deacons surely wish they had taken care of Florida State and NC State early on in league play. Wake Forest remains perfect at home this season, though they’ve really had further road losses to North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Duke on Monday.
It’s hard to say the Demon Deacons have suffered a setback, but what really hurts is that they haven’t won a Quad 2 game in over a month. There are opportunities to change their fortune and their resume in these next few weeks, starting this weekend at Virginia. Can they take advantage and finally get a Quad 1 win or two before March arrives?