At least the opponent after an open date isn’t Notre Dame or Virginia Tech.
The Tar Heels are 0-6 following their last six scheduled open dates, going back to 2018 in Larry Fedora’s last season.
Five of those six losses were to Virginia Tech or Notre Dame. The other was to Pitt, Carolina’s opponent when action resumes on October 29.
The last three seasons including this one, Notre Dame beat UNC three times, twice in Kenan Stadium, all after open dates and each time the Fighting Irish were better.
In 2019, midway through the season, Mack Brown’s Heels dropped that six-overtime thriller at Virginia Tech following an open date and three weeks later lost to Pitt on Thursday night ten days after losing a 38-31 shootout at home to Virginia. In his dismal last season, Fedora’s 2-9 Tar Heels also lost at Virginia Tech after a week off.
So what does Brown and his program do differently to finally win a game after an off week or does he continue practicing for a few days while the Pitt game plan is gradually worked in, the dinged-up players heal and he and Sally go to their mountain home in Linville for the weekend?
Carolina (3-0) has put itself in position to win the Coastal Division and, if so, is likely to face Clemson in the ACC title game in Charlotte. Pitt is the defending conference champ but not quite the same team it was last year after losing ACC Player of the Year and All-ACC quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Steelers as the 20th pick in the NFL Draft.
And two weeks later may be UNC’s toughest game of the season at No. 13 Wake Forest, which could be a meeting of top 20 teams if they both keep winning. To get back to Charlotte, where they lost to Pitt last year, the Deacons must win out and hope Clemson loses two league games. Unlikely.
However, two challenging teams have a chance to knock Carolina off its 6-1 perch and throw the Coastal race into further turmoil. It’s not Notre Dame or Virginia Tech, but interestingly Pitt has never won in six visits to Chapel Hill including an upset of the nationally ranked Panthers and Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett way back in 1974. Since joining the ACC, Pitt has lost three close games at Kenan by a combined total of nine points.
So, enjoy the weekend off and get ready to buckle up.
Photo via AP Photo/Chris Seward.
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