All-Carolina College Football Poll: NC State becoming serious threat behind UNC, Clemson
A couple of things, from the weekend: One — you didn’t really expect Miami to hang with Clemson, did you? More on this in a bit, in the little blurb about the Tigers at the top of our poll, but rarely if ever in their dynasty years have the Tigers been caught off guard by a conference game that has received any amount of hype or build-up. Like the one against Miami.
And, further, rarely if ever in its recent non-dynasty years has Miami taken advantage of a chance to prove itself. No real surprises there.
Another thing to note: North Carolina is back in the AP top five for the first time since 1997, which was the last year of Mack Brown’s first go-round with the Tar Heels. The only loss that season, if you remember, came against Florida State in what they called “Judgment Day” at Kenan Stadium. The verdict was not kind for UNC then.
Now comes another game, this weekend, against Florida State. It’s on the road. And no, the Seminoles aren’t nearly what they used to be. But there’s a bit of symmetry here, what with a top-five, Brown-coached UNC team going against the Seminoles who, 23 years ago, provided the only blemish in an otherwise perfect season. This one should go better for the Tar Heels.
Onto Week 5 of the All-Carolinas poll:
1. Clemson (4-0, 3-0 ACC)
Previous ranking: 1
Last week: W vs. Miami, 42-17
Up next: at Georgia Tech, Saturday
And we thought that Clemson might actually receive a test on Saturday against Miami. Silly us. And we also thought that maybe, just maybe, Miami might actually be on its way to being back. Silly us. Sidenote: If it’s been so long since a team’s been “back,” maybe it has just already already arrived at its more permanent location.
2. North Carolina (3-0, 3-0 ACC)
Previous ranking: 2
Last week: W vs. Virginia Tech, 56-45
Up next: at Florida State, Saturday
Go ahead. It’s OK to admit it: You were wrong about the Mack Brown hire. You thought, perhaps, that he was too old. That he had nothing left. That his last few years at Texas meant the game had passed him by. It’s OK to be wrong. No, UNC’s defense isn’t quite where it needs to be, but it might not matter all that much with that offense.
3. NC State (3-1, 3-1 ACC)
Previous ranking: 3
Last week: W at Virginia, 38-21
Up next: vs. Duke, Saturday
Perhaps another for the files of “you were wrong.” The Wolfpack looked lifeless and listless in that defeat at Virginia Tech a couple of weeks back. And then lookie here: Back-to-back victories against pretty decent competition on the road (though, no, road games aren’t what they were). Beat Duke on Saturday, and it sets up for a fun UNC-State game in a of couple weeks.
4. South Carolina (1-2, 1-2 SEC)
Previous ranking: 4
Last week: W at Vanderbilt, 41-7
Up next: vs. Auburn, Saturday
Said last week that the Gamecocks were due a respite after losses against Tennessee and Florida and, indeed, that was the case on Saturday against Vanderbilt. And we hope Will Muschamp and Co. enjoyed it, because the grind is back on. We know these teams don’t play all the time, being in opposite divisions and all, but since joining the SEC South Carolina is 0-8 against Auburn.
5. Appalachian State (2-1)
Previous ranking: 5
Last week: Off
Up next: vs. Arkansas State, Oct. 22
If it feels like the Mountaineers haven’t played in a while that’s because they haven’t. Not since that victory against Campbell on Sept. 26. Since then, it has postponed games twice — including one that had been scheduled for Saturday against Georgia Southern — in the aftermath of a COVID-19 outbreak on campus. It has not been a smooth ride in Boone.
T6. Coastal Carolina (3-0, 1-0 Sun Belt)
Previous ranking: 6
Last week: Off
Up next: vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, Wednesday
Speaking of not smooth: Coastal and Louisiana-Lafayette have been trying to play a football game now for weeks. First, they moved their game up because the Ragin Cajuns’ game against App had to be postponed. Then the Coastal-Louisiana game had to be pushed back because of Hurricane Delta. And so they’re going to try to play again. Everything is fluid these days.
T6. Wake Forest (1-2, 0-2 ACC)
Previous ranking: 7
Last week: Off
Up next: vs. Virginia, Oct. 17
Pour one out for your favorite All-Carolinas poll scribe. It’s really difficult to find little blurbs to write about teams that have only played one game in more than three weeks, like the Demon Deacons have. Is Wake any good? How long will the Demon Deacon ride around on that motorcycle? These are the questions that demand answers.
8. Duke (1-4, 1-4 ACC)
Previous ranking: 8
Last week: W at Syracuse, 38-24
Up next: at N.C. State, Saturday
Just when you thought Duke was going full Ted Roof, the Blue Devils managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat in a victory against Syracuse (remember when the Orange were actually pretty good a couple years back?). A cool thing that happens now is that Duke plays at NC State. These teams have played only three times in the past 15 years! And they’re like 25 miles apart!
9. Charlotte (1-2, 1-1, Conference USA)
Previous ranking: 9
Last week: W at North Texas, 49-21
Up next: vs. Florida International, Saturday
The 49ers laid a good ol’ fashion thumping on the Mean Green on Saturday, and now in mid-October, Charlotte will play its first home game of the season. Been a long road to get there, what games reshuffled or called off because of the virus.
10. East Carolina (1-2, 1-1 AAC)
Previous ranking: 10
Last week: W at South Florida, 44-24
Up next: vs. Navy, Saturday
Give the Pirates some credit for getting off the mat and putting together a pretty dominant performance at USF. The Pirates had been 1-9 all time against the Bulls, but ECU snapped a five-game losing streak in the series on Saturday. More important, the Pirates won for the first time in 2020, after things looked pretty dismal in their first two games.
