In full view of “that oh-so-valuable Boston media market,” the Fighting Fedorians unleashed their first complete game of the year to thump a Flutie-less / Ryan-less bunch of Golden Eagles 34-10. In eye-deal mid-Autumn football-watching weather, the 40,000-ish fans who showed up were able to spread out a bit and enjoy a solid Tar Heel winning performance.
When John Swofford tries in vain to justify why Boston College forsook all its natural rivals in Greater New England to cross The Mason-Dixon Line into the (faraway) ACC, he continually boasts about “that valuable Boston TV market.” So far, that consists of a run-down sports bar in Worcester with one 9” b/w TV, three guys named Moe in Shrewsbury, and one very old Minute Man on Concord Green waiting to “see the whites of their eyes.”
If there is ANY school that deserves to be a lifetime member of the All American Big East Catholic Conference, it’s Boston College. Alas and alack, the three mini-vans of traveling BC fans are forever stuck in College Sports Purgatory … playing schools as apathetic about playing BC as BC is about playing them. Middle Tennessee brought more fans to Kenan than BC did. OUCH!
A W is a W, and now we are one W away from having three of ‘em in 2013. The prospects of getting that 3rd, 4th, 5th and maybe even magical bowl-eligible 6th one have never been better. The prospects of yet another Christmas In Shreveport are slim, but there IS a sliver. EVERY one of the Tar Heels’ remaining five games in November IS winnable … or not.
The hated Wuffs await amid the fairgrounds … then Mr. Jefferson’s motley bunch o’ Hoos limp into Kenan … then a Marino/Dorsett-less Pitt Panthers in Ketchup Field….. then whoever the hell ODU is … and then Two Bowl Dave (aka “The Manning Brothers’ Second Daddy”) brings his Juggernaut that eight miles down 15-501. The 2013 version of the Fighting Fedorians is fully capable of running the table … or not.
NOTE: I think it’s grand that the 2014 Heels are “getting it together.” A 7-5 or even 6-6 season would be incredible, considering the devastation of the ECU debacle. That said, I remain a staunch critic of the current bloated bowl system. Ten bowls total for the top twenty teams is the limit of common sense.
We can even drop one in November and STILL get back to Shreveport at 6-6. Ain’t mediocrity grand? The 300+ Tar Heel faithful who to went to Shreveport to bid Everett Withers a fond farewell can return to eat mo’ gumbo and play the poker slots at one of the five “this-ain’t-Vegas” casinos in Shreveport and Bossier City.
With a roster loaded with potential CFL mid-round draft choices, the Fedorians are now “among comparables.” That should please some (if not all that many) diehard Carolina bandwagon fans. OK … ratcheting back on the cynicism.
“No Excuses November” looms, and Carolina has few if any mid-season injuries to overcome for this all-important stretch run. We head to the very, very unfriendly confines of Carter-Finley at what amounts to full strength for this year’s roster … that means without a Gio, a Jonathan, a Kevin, or a Sylvester.
We venture forth into “No Excuses November” without the comforting warmth of blaming Butch, Baddour, Dan Kane, Marvin, Jennifer, or Fats Thomas. OK, I’m holding on to “blaming Baddour” just because. I don’t care what his Sigma Nu brothers say.
TO’B and Smilin’ John Tenuta have been exiled to The Valley of The Shenandoah. There is no Philip, Russell or even a Glennon taking snaps. Dave Who doesn’t have the on-field talent in Raleigh that he left behind him at undefeated Northern Illinois.
YIKES. Repeat THAT last sentence and keep a straight face.
Larry Fedora’s career mastery over the hated PackPeople is at risk, and a high % of Triangle-area residents truly care who wins. It’s the Triangle version of Lehigh vs. Lafayette. Let the cul-de-sac war begin.
If your football universe is a 68-mile radius around the intersection of I-40 & Miami Blvd, then it doesn’t get any bigger or more bloviatable than State vs. Carolina. Paul Finebaum and Lee Corso won’t care, but who cares?
It’s Frat Boys versus Farm Boys. Backyard braggin’ rights for a year are on the line. Wonder how many TV sets in “that valuable Boston media market” will tune in?
WARNING: A Tar Heel fan wearing C-Blue within a kilometer of “The Carter” Saturday morning is liable to be cussed at, spit on, and offended, and certain to hear the word “PJ” used in a sentence.
More BobLee at www.bobleesays.com
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