UNC vs. NC State

(Smith Cameron Photography)

Note: Art Chansky is gone for a few days, so digital content manager Dakota Moyer will be contributing for the Sports Notebook in his absence.

Is time running out for Carolina football to make a move in the ACC?

The ACC has turned into one of college football’s toughest conferences, fielding 10 bowl teams last year and both Clemson and Florida State have won national titles in recent memory. Miami looks to be rejuvenated under Mark Richt and teams like Louisville, NC State and Virginia Tech all have sustained success in the past decade.

So where does UNC fit into this equation?

It seems like a distant memory when the Tar Heels won 11 games and took Clemson to the wire in the ACC Championship game. After a moderately successful one-and-done campaign by top quarterback prospect Mitch Trubisky in 2016, Carolina suffered a disappointing 3-9 season in 2017.

To be fair, there were many factors working against Carolina in 2017. For one, the team lost a host of draft picks on offense like Trubisky, Ryan Switzer and Mack Hollins. Injuries also plagued the team and an entire depth chart could have been created with the amount of season-ending injuries the team sustained.

On the recruiting trail, Larry Fedora and his staff have rebounded well. The Tar Heels finished the 2018 cycle with the 23rd ranked class in the country per 247Sports and landed highly-rated prospects such as lineman William Barnes, receiver Jordyn Adams and quarterback Jace Ruder.

But time is running out for Carolina to find its place at the ACC table.

Dabo Swinney and Clemson are building Alabama 2.0 in Death Valley and you can be sure Willie Taggart of FSU and Mark Richt from Miami aren’t far behind. Bobby Petrino just produced a Heisman-trophy winner at Louisville and always has a few tricks up his sleeve on offense. Meanwhile, coaches like Justin Fuente, Dave Doeren and Bronco Mendenhall have proven to be able to sustain success at their respective programs.

Will North Carolina rise to the challenge and compete with the big dogs in the conference, or will the Tar Heels be forced to join the likes of Syracuse and Pittsburgh at the bottom?

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