There’s never a time for any team to take its foot off the gas pedal, particularly when that team is playing well and has aspirations greater than a conference crown.
Yet when teams come up just short of the ultimate prize, underestimation is a common theme. Already this season in college football, we’ve seen a great Colorado team fall back to earth and a USC squad get dominated by Notre Dame.
I’m not saying those teams have underestimated opponents, but they each made us believe they had greater plans.
Last year, there was a case for then 9-1 UNC underestimating Georgia Tech ahead of their Nov. 19 matchup. Carolina appeared well on its way to a win, leading 17-7 at halftime, only to be shutout in the second half.
The Tar Heels face a similar situation on Saturday. They’re undefeated and face a struggling squad, this time in the form of 1-win UVA. The Cavaliers are coming off a 27-13 win two weeks ago, against in-state rival William and Mary. They could easily have four wins, but lost to N.C. State, Boston College and James Madison by a combined seven points.
UNC has scored 40 points in four games already, while Drake Maye just threw for four touchdowns last weekend against Miami. The Tar Heel defense is equally as impressive, particularly in the second half of games.
If UNC doesn’t play its cards right, loss number one could be staring it in the face. The likelihood of this happening is very slim – Carolina is a much better team this year – but you can bet the Cavaliers are aiming to play villian for Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff.