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Suddenly, the Tar Heels are underdogs at Minnesota.
We knew the betting line might change closer to kickoff, but did you ever think it would land on the Golden Gophers as a 1-and-a-half-point favorite over Carolina in the season opener for both teams?
Neither of these schools are big football brands, although both have come close to breaking that glass ceiling in their histories.
Minnesota claims to have won nine national championships long before that mantel was determined on the field. From 1904 through 1960, the Gophers were selected the best team in the country by various foundations, organizations and media polls.
Five of those teams went undefeated and the 1960 Gophers lost the Rose Bowl to Washington, finished with an 8-2 record and were still voted No. 1 under their national coach of the year Murray Warmath. In modern times, Minnesota has not made it into the College Football Playoff but has been to 18 bowl games in this century, including three straight under current coach P.J. Fleck. Their all-time heroes are Charlie Sanders, Leo Nomellini, Bronco Nagurski, Bud Grant, Carl Eller, Tony Dungy and Bobby Bell.
Carolina did not play in the nation’s oldest conference, the Big Ten, and had great teams led by Charlie Justice, Don McCauley, Lawrence Taylor and in Mack Brown’s first tenure that ended in 1997.
Brown has certainly raised UNC’s football profile in his two stints in Chapel Hill with nationally ranked teams and his sixth team in his second tour was thought to be favored over the Gophers, who are picked to finish 13th in their league.
But oddsmakers are saying that Minnesota’s veteran defensive front will make it hard on Omarion Hampton and an inexperienced offensive line and force the Tar Heels’ new quarterbacks to win the game through the air.
Conversely, the Gophers don’t have a Hampton but are very deep at running back behind Darius Taylor, who played only six games last season but still led the Big Ten in yards rushing per game, and four starters and several projected NFL draft picks returning on their offensive line.
So the defense of new coordinator Geoff Collins will have to live up to its billing behind linebacker stars Power Echols and Kaimon Rucker and a deep secondary to contain Taylor and pressure a new quarterback who came from FCS school New Hampshire.
All that, plus raucous opening-night fans dressed in gold will be a tough test for Brown, who has gone 8-2 at UNC against Power 5 teams in openers. All other Carolina coaches since 1988 have combined to go 0-11 in such games.
The Heels steamrolled the Gophers, 31-13, last year at Kenan Stadium, but this time the home field makes Minnesota a slight favorite with the over-under for both teams at 50.5 points.
Featured image via Associated Press/Reinhold Matay
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
