UNC, Wake Forest and Clemson: What we were wrong about this college football season
And then it was over. Thirteen weeks, a memory.
The 2021 college football season offered one of the greatest cases yet for the argument that pretty much none of us have any idea what we’re talking about before the start of any season. That goes for casual fans and more hardcore aficionados. It goes for media folk. Why, even the venerable voting panel of the All-Carolina Poll had it all wrong back in August, if you can believe it.
Yes, The Poll debuted this season with a 1-2 combo of Clemson and North Carolina at the top, and Wake Forest at No. 6. Oops. We did get some things (mostly) right: That it’d be a long season for Duke; that N.C. State would have a chance to be pretty good. And, yes, the teams that started in the bottom half of The Poll have (mostly) stayed there (except, um, Wake. Oops, again.)
But the overall point remains: With the exception of the very best of the best (and that line was thinner than ever this year) college football usually provides a wild, unpredictable three-month ride. That was especially true in the Carolinas this year, from UNC’s season-opening letdown at Virginia Tech to, um, the Tar Heels’ collapse, in historic fashion, at N.C. State on Friday night.
After that defeat, UNC coach Mack Brown said it was a great game, if you didn’t care who won. It was a great season, too, if you didn’t care who won — or if you were a Wake Forest fan (or perhaps an App State fan or even, for once, an N.C. State fan, especially during those final two minutes Friday night).
For the Carolinas’ other eight teams, and even at times for the few aforementioned, it was a season of ups and downs; of maddening unpredictability or, in the case of Duke, of just plain maddening performance. Thanks for spending some time with The Poll this season. For the final edition of 2021, we take a look back at the highs and lows:
1. Wake Forest (10-2, 7-1 ACC)
Previous ranking: 2
Last week: W 41-10 at Boston College
Up next: vs. Pittsburgh, ACC championship, Saturday
The high: The Demon Deacons found a way to beat N.C. State in a game both teams had to have to win the ACC Atlantic. That victory in some ways personified Wake’s resilient, gritty season, one that offered one, big 13-week high, overall.
The low: Wake’s collapse against an inferior UNC team remains perplexing, and the shellacking at Clemson took a bit of shine off. Still, 10 wins is 10 wins, and the Deacs are Charlotte-bound.
2. N.C. State (9-3, 6-2 ACC)
Previous ranking: 1
Last week: W 34-30 vs. North Carolina
Up next: Bowl game, TBD
The high: Hmmm. Let’s see. What would Wolfpack fans go with here? Coming back from a nine-point deficit to beat UNC in the final 101 seconds last Friday night? Yes, that’s probably the one. It’ll be difficult for State to top that finish. Ever. Oh, and beating Clemson. Another high.
The low: A mistake-filled, close loss at Wake Forest kept State out of the ACC championship game.
3. Clemson (9-3, 6-2 ACC)
Previous ranking: 3
Last week: W 30-0 at South Carolina
Up next: Bowl game, TBD
The high: Five straight wins to end things elevated the Tigers’ season from “is everything OK there?” to “you know — a down year but not all that bad, really, in the grand scheme.”
The low: Clemson’s September began with that close loss against Georgia and then the double-overtime loss at N.C. State, which effectively knocked the Tigers out of their reserved place in the College Football Playoff.
4. Appalachian State (10-2, 7-1 Sun Belt)
Previous ranking: 4
Last week: W 27-3 vs. Georgia Southern
Up next: at Louisiana-Lafayette, Sun Belt championship, Saturday
The high: Nothing like a nationally-televised primetime victory against Coastal Carolina to remind everyone that you’re not quite ready to abdicate the (Sun Belt) throne just yet.
The low: The 41-13 defeat at Louisiana-Lafayette was humbling, to say the least, though the Mountaineers can exact some revenge this weekend, with greater stakes and against a team whose head coach just took another job. App’s chances for atonement: Pretty good.
5. Coastal Carolina (10-2, 6-2 Sun Belt)
Previous ranking: 5
Last week: W 27-21 at South Alabama
Up next: Bowl game, TBD
The high: The 6-0 start carried on the 2020 vibes (Coastal may be the only entity that wanted a repeat of 2020) while the Chanticleers again climbed the national rankings.
The low: The defeat in Boone, at App State, sucked the air out of the season and then came the injury to Grayson McCall. Still: Back-to-back 10-win seasons? Coastal will take it.
6. North Carolina (6-6, 3-5 ACC)
Previous ranking: 6
Last week: L 34-30 at N.C. State
Up next: Bowl game, TBD
The high: Yeesh. Well, the Tar Heels are bowl-eligible, at least. The victory against Wake Forest was fun and provided something to celebrate. We can say UNC didn’t give up. But the best part of its season might’ve happened off the field, in the form of continued recruiting success.
The low: Everything else. From preseason top-10 to 6-6, UNC was probably the nation’s biggest disappointment.
7. ECU (7-5, 5-3 American)
Previous ranking: 8
Last week: L 35-13 vs. Cincinnati
Up next: Bowl game, TBD
The high: The Pirates achieved bowl eligibility. That was the goal for Holton Ahlers and many other ECU players who’ve been through several low (and lower) points over the past several years.
The low: The dubious start, with defeats against App State and South Carolina, cast plenty of doubt about ECU’s potential. The Pirates may well have saved their season with that close victory against Marshall in Week 3.
8. South Carolina (6-6, 3-5 SEC)
Previous ranking: 7
Last week: L 30-0 vs. Clemson
Up next: Bowl game, TBD
The high: If you’d told Gamecocks fans that they’d experience victories against both Auburn and Florida, they’d have taken it in a hurry. Bowl eligibility in Shane Beamer’s debut season is an accomplishment.
The low: Even in a season in which South Carolina exceeded expectations and Clemson failed to meet them, the gulf between the programs remains large — in this case, 30 points wide, as evidenced by the result in Columbia on Saturday.
9. Charlotte (5-7, 3-5 Conference USA)
Previous ranking: 9
Last week: L 56-34 at Old Dominion
Up next: Season complete.
The high: Any victory against an ACC team, regardless of how bad that team might be, is worth celebrating for Charlotte. And the celebration was memorable, indeed, following the season-opening win against Duke.
The low: The 49ers’ 4-2 start proved to be a bit of a mirage, and defeats in five of the final six games will keep Charlotte home during bowl season. Still remains plenty of promise here, though.
10. Duke (3-9, 0-8 ACC)
Previous ranking: 10
Last week: L 47-10 vs. Miami
Up next: Season complete.
The high: Well, there were those victories against Northwestern and Kansas back in September. Lose those games, and the embarrassment level goes up a notch or two. But it was a season mostly filled with ...
The bad: Duke lost eight straight games to finish the season, and most of those defeats were of the not-close variety. A bleak ending to David Cutcliffe’s tenure, and one unbecoming of the overall job he did in elevating the program throughout most of his time there.
This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 1:15 PM with the headline "UNC, Wake Forest and Clemson: What we were wrong about this college football season."
