For Carolina Football, it turned out to be addition by subtraction.

The Duke’s Mayo Bowl is the big winner by matching two 6-6 teams with fan bases an easy drive to Bank of America Stadium. Who figured the two Carolinas would wind up in such a game?

When the Tar Heels lost to N.C. State, most people thought they would be shipped to some outpost bowl after finishing the regular season sadly. But Charlotte wanted Sam Howell and a team that still had other star power left despite its disappointing ending.

South Carolina was more of a surprise under first-year head coach Shane Beamer, son of Virginia Tech legend Frank Beamer. So, the Gamecocks will be a solid underdog on the morning of December 30, but a border battle is a border battle.

While the Mayo Bowl might not sell out, it is likely to draw a bigger crowd than the recent ACC championship game between far-away Pitt and Wake Forest with relatively few fans.

Meanwhile, no other ACC team is playing in a bowl anywhere near its campus. Louisville and Miami are in Texas; Clemson and Wake in Florida; Pitt in Atlanta; Virginia Tech in New York and Virginia in Boston; BC in Annapolis and NC State in San Diego.

With states still having confusing COVID regulations, travel remains a hazard for some people. The Mayo Bowl comes out smelling like a rose despite two teams that might be considered stinkers.

If Howell or his people had any thoughts about sitting out what might be considered a meaningless game, the future NFL draft pick will play because he’s a warrior with more to prove and can end his college career with a win a few miles from his family and friends.

For Mack Brown, it is another game where dozens of recruits just might show up because he is still all about “winning the state” even though his team lost that chance in the last two minutes in Raleigh. And Brown gets those two weeks of extra practice in preparation for the 2022 season.

So by losing, Carolina won a chance to chase something meaningful after all. When the two Carolinas meet, the one-time ACC rivals get to play for the pride of their respective states. And the Mayo (once the tire, muffler and Belk) Bowl is the guaranteed winner.

 

Photo via ACC Media.

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