The North Carolina Tar Heels’ football program started the year 6-0 and entered the national conversation in terms of a big bowl game and potentially being a College Football Playoff sleeper. But that all went away at the hands of a very ugly upset to Virginia on Saturday.
The Cavaliers were 20+ point underdogs and went into Chapel Hill and controlled the game to upset the Tar Heels. While it didn’t wash away their Atlantic Coast Conference title hopes, it did spoil what some thought could be a ‘magical’ season. And following the game, SEC and college football analyst Paul Finebaum had some harsh, yet true words about the program under Mack Brown.
During an appearance on the ‘The Matt Barrie Show’ Sunday, Finebaum said it best. This game was embodiment of Mack Brown at North Carolina.
“I was on the air the other day with Jeff Saturday,” explained Finebaum via On3. “We were doing our top-four and he said, ‘Hey! What about North Carolina?’. And I said, ‘What about North Carolina?’”
“That is North Carolina. Sadly, it has been the embodiment of Mack Brown at North Carolina,” Finebaum said. “He has done a phenomenal job but he just always has that game. That’s really too bad because that program probably deserved better.”
He’s not wrong, despite it being harsh.
We’ve seen this game before, even as recently as last season when UNC lost to Georgia Tech and NC State in games they should have won. We saw it against Florida State a few years back and even during Brown’s first tenure at North Carolina.
The Tar Heels were coming off a big win over Miami at home a week ago that set high expectations into fan’s minds for what could have been a special season. And then poof. It’s all down the drain in a game they looked uninspired from the start.
Oh, and on tap this week?
A trip to Atlanta to face off against Georgia Tech with the Tar Heels being two-touchdown favorites.
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