Earlier this morning we looked at the difficulty of the crossover schedules in the Atlantic Division. The Coastal is up next, and teams that face league leaders Clemson and Florida State should be ranked near the top. Road games are also factored in. This particular list could play a role in the Coastal Division race because unlike Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech doesn’t have to face Florida State. The following schedules are ranked from the most difficult to the easiest:

1. Virginia Tech (at Clemson, Florida State, at Boston College): The Hokies get the nod for No. 1 here because they have to face Florida State on a Thursday night and must travel to Death Valley to face a team that beat them twice last year. A road trip to Chestnut Hill shouldn’t be overlooked, though it’s a game the Hokies will likely be favored to win.

2. Duke (at Wake Forest, at Florida State, Clemson): Duke will have the most challenging inter-divisional schedule with two road trips, and games against the 2012 favorites and the defending 2011 ACC champs. The only solace for the Blue Devils is that they don’t have to face NC State.

3. Miami (at BC, NC State, Florida State): The Canes will have home-field advantage for their two most difficult Atlantic Division opponents, but NC State and FSU are also two of the best teams in their division. It’s not going to be easy to start the season on the road against an ACC opponent.

4. Georgia Tech (at Clemson, Boston College, at Maryland): The Jackets have two road games, including one to Death Valley, but they’ve got a bye week to prepare for the home game against BC.

5. Virginia (Maryland, Wake Forest, at NC State): The Hoos are fortunate enough to escape Clemson AND Florida State, but they’ve got to hit the road for their toughest game in this series. UVa at least has a bye week to prepare for the trip to Raleigh.

6. North Carolina (at Wake Forest, NC State, Maryland): The Tar Heels also have two home games and they avoid Clemson and Florida State. The biggest difference between UNC and UVa here is that the Tar Heels will have home-field advantage against their in-state rival.