Not everything is always black and white.
One or the other.
“It’s this, so it can’t be that.”
It’s important to remember, after what was probably the most memorable college football season in North Carolina in recent memory, that multiple things can be true at once.
Some examples of what we’re talking about: It’s possible to have a down year, on the field, and still have arguably the best program in the state, in terms of culture and maximizing potential. (See: Appalachian State.) It’s also possible to have what appears, on paper, to be a very good season — while still having real questions about that program’s direction. (See: North Carolina).
And one last one: We can say the ACC was down this season — and it was — while also acknowledging the reality that, among the Big Four, this is about as good as it gets. Not perfect, by any means, as N.C. State, UNC and Wake Forest all have reasons to ruminate, and wonder “what if?”
State had the injuries, and a bad loss against Boston College. Wake has lost four out of five. UNC, all of a sudden, has lost two games it very much thinks it should’ve won, and the luster from its 9-1 start is gone. Yet still, it bears repeating: This is about as good as it gets, collectively, for these four schools. It’s the first time since 1947 that they all finished the regular season with winning records.
And you can make arguments, for all four, that the future is brighter than the present, or at least as good. UNC, after all, has another year with Drake Maye. State loses a lot of personnel, but Dave Doeren has built a culture as strong as any program in North Carolina. Wake isn’t going anywhere (in a good way) as long as Dave Clawson sticks around. And at Duke, Mike Elko is “going to be a problem,” as the kids say these days (if, in fact, they still say that).
Jim Phillips, the ACC Commissioner, has talked a lot about the need for the conference to become stronger in football. Not just stronger, really, but for ACC schools to be all-in. Schools are making the investments, for better or worse. It’s certainly debatable, on a lot of levels, whether it’s money well-spent, but North Carolina schools — so rooted in their shared basketball history — are spending the money on football: on coaching salaries, facilities and anything else.
And sure, fans are greedy and, well, fanatical. Nothing ever seems good enough. This was supposed to be State’s season, and it wasn’t. Wake ascended to the top 10, then took a dive. UNC was 9-1, and in the conversation for the College Football Playoff, and then just as quickly UNC was 9-3. Success doesn’t always follow a straight line. Multiple things can be true at once. Good seasons aren’t always reflective of the programs behind them, and vice versa.
Still, one thing has become clear enough over the past three months: For the Big Four, this is about as good as it gets, collectively, in football. Throw in ECU (7-5) and App State (6-6 and not bowl eligible, but the Mountaineers will always have that win at Texas A&M) and perhaps this was the best college football season ever in North Carolina. That’s either depressing or uplifting, depending on your perspective.
ONE BIG THING
From Clemson to Chapel Hill, rivalry weekend delivered in the Carolinas in a way that it rarely has. N.C. State, for the second consecutive year, delivered to UNC the kind of defeat that just isn’t easy to move on from. A soul-snatching defeat, is one way to put it.
Speaking of snatching souls, South Carolina beat Clemson for the first time since 2013, back when “Clemsoning” was still a thing. And Duke rallied for a dramatic victory against Wake at Wallace Wade Stadium, where a small but spirited crowd stood witness.
A tip of the cap to all who partook. A good show, indeed.
THE HOTTEST TAKE
So normally in this space we poke some sarcastic fun at an opinion deserving of an eye-roll or two. Sometimes these are opinions from fans. Or coaches. This week we present The Hottest Take in a more earnest way. It comes courtesy of Doeren, the N.C. State head coach, who delivered a doozy to the ABC broadcast crew, which then summarized Doeren’s words for the masses during the broadcast of the State-Carolina game Friday night.
Doeren, paraphrased, on UNC:
“They don’t like us. We hate them. We’re blue collar, they’re elitist. Their coaches talk down to us, they talk behind our backs in recruiting, and negatively about our coaching staff.”
Well then. Honestly, though, folks: This is good for the rivalry.
THREE TO LIKE
1. With apologies to Mike Norvell, if the ACC Coach of the Year award doesn’t go to Mike Elko, then just get rid of the award. Duke had sunk almost back to pre-Davis Cutcliffe levels in the latter years of Cutcliffe’s tenure, and Elko reversed it all in a single season. The Blue Devils’ eight victories are their most in the regular season since 2014.
2. Rivalry games are part of what make college football special, and they’re perhaps the best part of the sport. You want them to matter to coaches and players as much as they matter to fans. And State-Carolina matters to Doeren. He gets it. Some UNC fans over the years have suggested they’d like to see Doeren remain at State forever. Well, he’s 6-4 against Carolina — so if you’re a UNC fan, are you sure you want him there forever?
3. Speaking of rivalries mattering, it looks like South Carolina-Clemson is about to matter a lot more than it has, both regionally and nationally. The Gamecocks ended Clemson’s playoff hopes (however slim they might’ve been) and at the same time served notice of their arrival under Shane Beamer. That’s two straight victories over top-10 opponents to close the regular season. Not bad. Unless you’re a North Carolina school that needs to recruit against South Carolina.
THREE TO ... NOT LIKE AS MUCH
1. Just a bad, no-good weekend for the ACC. Clemson loses to South Carolina. Louisville loses to Kentucky. Florida State struggles to beat a mediocre Florida team. (Georgia Tech Tech lost badly to Georgia, too, but, well, that’s not surprising.) Oh, and Miami looks as lifeless as ever after a miserable first year under Mario Cristobal. In terms of national perception (which isn’t always reality), this is about as bad as it has been for the ACC in years.
2. About nine days ago, North Carolina was in the College Football Playoff discussion. Drake Maye was a Heisman Trophy candidate. And, well ... what happened? The Tar Heels are headed to the ACC Championship Game and kudos to them for winning the Coastal Division. The past two games, though, point to some issues — and, honestly, close wins covered up a lot of those issues throughout the past few months. A question: UNC’s best win is ... ? It just might be Duke.
3. Keeping it in the realm of the Wolfpack and Tar Heels: Why does this game need to be on a Friday? It’d be one thing if there was some tradition here, a la the Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State on Thanksgiving. This, though, is just about appeasing the Television Gods. Which, OK, that train left the station, oh, in about 1955 or so. Still, this game gets lost on Friday. Unless it’s going to be in prime time, on national television, move it to Saturday.
CAROLINAS RANKING
1. South Carolina (it’s about how you finish and how you’re playing, and nobody has been better than the Gamecocks the past two weeks); 2. Clemson (will the Tigers be motivated with “only” an ACC championship on the line in Charlotte?); 3. N.C. State (when engaged, its defense is elite); 4. North Carolina (Tar Heels on Saturday could win the ACC for the first time since 1980); 5. Duke (all aboard the Elko Express); 6. Wake Forest; 7. ECU; 8. Coastal Carolina; 9. Appalachian State (a rough season for arguably the state’s best program); 10. Charlotte.
FINAL THOUGHTS, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
— I think State’s victory against Carolina reinforced an age-old truth: In football, these schools just take turns dragging each other down, with neither one really ever becoming what it aspires to be. They both want so badly to be more and yet, for whatever reason, can’t be. They’re very different programs, especially in terms of culture. In other ways, they’re the exact same.
— I think, speaking of that rivalry, it’s also a little underrated, nationally. Ole Miss-Mississippi State gets a lot of love outside of that state, and rightfully so. State-Carolina has a similar level of spice. State, too, has now won 11 of the past 16. The Wolfpack is 13-9 against UNC since 2000. If one school has a losing record against another during the lifetime of its players, it’s difficult to see how it could call the other “little brother.” But that’s another part of what makes this rivalry fun.
— I think this season, again, proved that a divisional system was always the wrong way for the ACC to decide its champion. It has worked more often than not, because Clemson has been Clemson. Too often, though, the Coastal Division winner has not been the second- (or third-, or maybe even fourth-best) team in the conference. Fare thee well, divisions. You shall not be missed.
— I think there’s not a better FBS/FCS one-two combo of quarterbacks than what we have in the Triangle. You know about Drake Maye. You should know about N.C. Central quarterback Davius Richard, who finished 12th in the FCS in total offense (288.8 yards per game). If the Triangle were getting a team together for a Thanksgiving football game against other regions of the country, you’d have to like our chances.
— I think this has been fun. With the regular season having reached its conclusion, this is the final installment of this column for now. Thanks for reading. Until next year.
