If football schedules were divided the same way as football games, the Tar Heels would be about to begin the fourth quarter. And just like in the last 15 minutes of a close game, the intensity will ratchet up in Carolina’s final three contests of the regular season.
It’s a unique thing for UNC to face Wake Forest, Duke and NC State all in a row, starting with the Demon Deacons tomorrow. The comparisons to the legendary “Big 4” basketball tournaments of yore will be hard to miss, though the football competition among this quartet hasn’t quite reached that level.
Still, there’s plenty at stake for Carolina. A win tomorrow would move the Tar Heels one step closer to bowl eligibility, while a loss would leave them no room for error. Wake Forest, meanwhile, is seeking its first win against UNC since 2019. Offensive lineman Daniel King, who will be playing in his first Tobacco Road game after transferring in from Troy during the offseason, said he nonetheless understands what to expect.
“We already know it’s gonna be a tough, gritty game,” King said Thursday. “It’s gonna be all four quarters. We’ve just gotta have our chinstraps buckled, our mouthpieces in. We’ve gotta be ready to go. It’s one of them games.”
Carolina will face a Wake Forest team riding high after an upset win at Virginia last weekend. The Demon Deacons are 6-3 on the season, having already clinched bowl eligibility, and are favored to defeat the Tar Heels tomorrow. That would appear to be all the better for UNC, which has embraced an “us vs. the world” mentality since it hit rock bottom against Clemson last month.
The play of the Carolina defense has been the driving force behind UNC’s improvement. The Tar Heels haven’t allowed more than 21 points in any of their last four games, and Khmori House is fresh off an ACC Linebacker of the Week win against Stanford last weekend. House’s position coach, Jamie Collins, is no stranger to high-intensity games, but the former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion warned his players not to get too high for tomorrow’s game, lest a crash come soon after.
“Big game, bragging rights, all that good stuff. You’ve just gotta keep a level head,” said Collins. “Understand the situation. It’s just like playing in the Super Bowl. Yeah, it’s the Super Bowl, but if you get too high, you’re gonna blow a head gasket.”
Head coach Bill Belichick knows plenty about Super Bowls and rivalries alike. Earlier this week, Belichick noted the atmosphere at the Charlotte game in September was a good primer for Carolina as it enters the home stretch of the season. To this point, that’s the only game UNC has played against an in-state opponent. Belichick even pointed out that UNC’s schedule sets up like a high school football playoff run, and said that should be all the motivation his team needs.
“Every high school kid wants to win a state championship,” he said. “And when you’re playing at this level, it’s important to win in the state. Look, they [Wake Forest] are a good football team no matter where they’re located, but we know it’s an in-state game, and it’s gonna be tough. And it’s their place, and I’m sure there’ll be a lot of energy in the stadium.”
It may not be hyperbole to say Belichick’s future in Chapel Hill depends on this final stretch of games. Regardless of how poorly the Tar Heels began the season, wins in these rivalry fixtures would go a long way toward shortening the fanbase’s memory. As Belichick will soon discover, there is nothing in college football more powerful than good ol’ fashioned bragging rights.
Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Chance Bragg
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