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CHAPEL HILL – It wasn’t exactly a mystery in August what part of North Carolina’s schedule was most challenging.
The first half of the season was supposed to set up the second half. A young Tar Heels team would find out where its rough spots were and get them fixed navigating a more than manageable slate. It was the last six games that would tell the tale on this team’s season.
Only that UNC didn’t get through the first half without major issues being exposed and three losses on its resume. And the back half? Well, No. 13 Wake Forest has perhaps its best team in school history, No. 17 Pittsburgh is rolling and could have the eventual Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, and No. 25 NC State has been ranked for a few weeks.
Not to be forgotten is this week’s trip to No. 11 Notre Dame, where the Fighting Irish have won 27 of their last 28 games in front of Touchdown Jesus and have won 37 consecutive games versus unranked teams.
Daunting? To say the least.
“We said we have a six-week season left when we started Miami,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said during his weekly press conference Monday. “We beat them, so we’re 1-0. Five games left, four ranked teams, three on the road – we haven’t played well on the road and we’ll be underdogs in four of those games.
“A fun, challenging schedule ahead, but it will really make our program show continued growth to play well during this stretch.”
Carolina likely would be a touchdown underdog in its four remaining games versus Power 5 teams if played this week. It shouldn’t have any trouble with FCS member Wofford when the Terriers visit the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Such a notion was unthinkable when the Tar Heels started the season ranked No. 10 in the nation and were regarded as second-tier contenders for the College Football Playoff. Junior quarterback Sam Howell was also considered one of the leading candidates for the Heisman. All of those things are out the window now, as the 4-3 Heels are simply fighting to reach a bowl game, which requires they finish with at least six victories.
So, winning one of those four games versus ranked teams is a must for Carolina to extend its season past the finale in Raleigh on November 26. The mission is to win each game, and the message to the team is it’s entirely possible.
“I’ve talked to them about the last five games, and have said, ‘you could still win the last five or you could lose four of those five pretty easily,’” Brown said. “We’ll be a heavy favorite over Wofford, but the other four, we will be an underdog.
“‘You could walk outta here winning nine games and make people who are disappointed in you really happy, and come out of this thing really, really well, or you could lose them all. That’s who you are.’”
Translation: This is a huge opportunity, which is exactly how the players see it.
“I don’t think you could have asked for a better opportunity, especially based off how we started the season,” UNC senior linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel said. “Being able to finish this season with four ranked opponents all in the Top 25, good, prestigious teams, I don’t think we could have asked for anything more.”
Sending the seniors out on a positive is certainly on the agenda, but the Carolina program remains in very much within the building process. Handling adversity, being more physical, and the many other ailments that have flared up at times afflicting the Tar Heels this season must be dealt with.
So, working through this gauntlet will give the staff a true idea about where things stand in just about every nook and cranny of the program. And that might be what’s most beneficial about closing with such a demanding slate.
“What we’ve got to do is keep building as a program, because obviously our goals have changed," Brown said. "We’re trying to get the seniors to finish right, get them in a bowl game, and we’ve got to win two of these games to even get to a bowl. I think our guys are fully aware – they saw Pittsburgh and Clemson on Saturday, they know NC State’s playing well, and Wake’s got the best team in their school history…
“So, we’ve got our hands full here to finish. I think it’s great for us. It’s gonna show us where we are. It’s going to get all of us more realistic about where we are in our program than we were in preseason. And at the same time, it will show us the things that we need to get accomplished in spring practice.”
Step one, Saturday night in South Bend, IN, and the Heels will go from there.
