Right There

UNC’s football team is right there. We really are. What I mean is that UNC, while they may not completely be in control of their own destiny, we are pretty damn close. Through 8 games we are 6-2. Virginia leads the Coastal division right now, and if they win out, they are going to Tampa (where they will lay an egg against FSU). But I don’t think anybody think UVa will win out; they have Miami, @WF, Clemson, and finish @ VT. I’m willing to bet they lose at least 2 of those games. Regardless, Cedric Peerman will celebrate 3 yard gains like he just broke 80 yards to tie the Super Bowl, so at least that will be entertaining. VT has to losses (like UNC) but owns the tie breaker because of Greg Little’s fumbles and Ron Cherry’s incompetence. But VT now has two injured QBs and that may prove to be a challenge for an already weak offense. VT has got MD, @Miami, Duke and UVa left on the schedule. Murphy’s law says that bad Maryland shows up at Lane on November 6th, but the Miami and UVa games could be close. Georgia Tech is ahead of UNC in the coastal right now by default because they have played more games. They are a good team with a VERY good defense. They have FSU, @UNC and Miami left on their ACC schedule before they get clobbered in Athens.


Basically, I doubt any of the above teams will win all of their remaining games. UNC has got GT, @UMD, NCSU and @Duke. If they win each game, I’d be SHOCKED if they arn’t in Tampa on December 6th. The Georgia Tech game has just become the biggest game of the year. They are the best team left on UNC’s schedule, it’s at home and we all know we need it to stay in the race. I am still not sure what to make of Maryland except that they might have the best RB in the ACC. State will come into Kenan most likely having nothing to play for (assuming Wake beats them), so it will be one of those “let’s crap on UNC’s parade” type of games for NCSU and a “take care of business” game for UNC (just like basketball every year!).


And then there is the Duke game, which might scare the crap out of me. UNC might go into Wallace Wade to face a 5-6 Blue Devil team that will come out with their fucking hair on fire. Look, UNC is already Duke’s super bowl, they should have beaten us last year, and the last convincing win we have had against them was in 2004. If they have something to play for (bowl eligibility), it just scares me. We are without a doubt a more talented team then Duke, that’s a given. But this one would be very, very close.


Look, UNC is in the same situation that VT, GT and Virginia are; they are all in control of their future. If UNC wants to upgrade this season from successful (7+ wins, respectable bowl) to special (9+ wins, good bowl) they are going to have to take it, and if they take it, they’ll get it. UNC is right there, we are right there in that crowd talking about a possible ACC championship, a possible Orange, Peach, Gator or Tangerine Bowl, a possible 9+ win season. North Carolina is right there, and it’s a damn fine place to be.