UNC was ranked ahead of current CFP team at one point
Another UNC football season that started out with so much promise, another UNC football season that ended with so much disappointment.
While the year is technically not over yet, as the Tar Heels take on West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 27, UNC was once considered an ACC and fringe College Football Playoff contender.
Carolina was 6-0, riding high with wins against South Carolina, App State, Minnesota, Pitt, Syracuse and a ranked Miami squad. UNC quarterback Drake Maye truly looked like a Heisman contender, but it was the then-improved Tar Heel defense catching people’s attention.
UNC was playing so well that, in the AP Poll released after Week 6, it was one spot ahead of current CFP team Alabama.
Isn’t that tough to imagine? The Tar Heels, who currently are 8-4 and look like one of the ACC’s coldest teams, were once ahead of college football’s greatest powerhouse. The Crimson Tide were dealing with a quarterback conundrum and inconsistent offense, leading many to question if Nick Saban’s reign as college football king was over.
As sports always go, particularly in college football this year, that short-lived fame didn’t last long. UNC continued a disturbing trend of cold finishes, while Alabama looked a lot more like one of the country’s best.
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