UNC Football: The Season Is Not Over, Still Much To Play For

The UNC Football program suffered a devastating loss against 1-5 Virginia on Saturday night. But does that mean the season is over?

Just when it felt like things were changing and the UNC Football program was ready to take the next step to national relevance, it all came crashing down Saturday night in Kenan Stadium. Coming off a big win in primetime against Miami, a 6-0 start, we heard all week about avoiding the poisoned cheese. And it still didn’t matter. 1-5 Virginia came into Kenan Stadium and utilized a perfect game plan to beat a Tar Heel team that appeared to think they could sleepwalk past the Cavaliers.

Well, now it’s been over 48 hours since the clock hit 0:00 in Kenan Stadium.

So what’s next?

Is the sky falling?

Is the season over?

Is there anything left to play for? If you look at social media, the UNC Football fanbase appears to be split on this. We’re even split here at Keeping It Heel.

Personally, I believe we still have a lot to play for. Of course, the undefeated, special season we all were hoping for is now no longer there. The shot at a potential College Football Playoff birth is pretty much out the door – granted, it was a slim chance even before the Virginia loss. But what were the goals for this team before the season? What were your expectations?

No one even thought a loss to a team that hadn’t won an FBS game in over a calendar year was even possible… but if in August someone told you North Carolina would be 6-1 and No. 17 in the country through its first seven games would most fans accepted that? Most likely. We probably would’ve guessed the loss was to Miami or South Carolina (based on pre-season expectations).

We heard all offseason the goal within the program was to get back to the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte. That goal is still within reach. Currently at 3-1 in the ACC, the remaining conference schedule is at Georgia Tech, Duke (on Senior Day), at Clemson, and at NC State. If they are able to win out, then a 7-1 record almost guarantees they will be in the title game. Louisville could potentially finish 7-1 as well (their remaining schedule is Duke, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and at Miami), and then it would come down to a tiebreaker.

If you see Louisville losing one (or multiple) of their remaining games, then we could even discuss a scenario where the Tar Heels could suffer another loss and still make it to Charlotte with a 6-2 record. Four games remaining for all teams at the top of the conference standings (except for Florida State), means there are too many scenarios to discuss right now. What we can discuss is that there is still plenty to play for, and it starts this weekend.

Was last weekend disappointing? Yes. If the Tar Heels can right the ship and make it to Charlotte for the second straight year, I’m sure most fans would sign on the dotted line for that right away. There are still five games in the regular season remaining and half the conference schedule to play through.

It’s time to put last week in the past and focus on going 1-0 this week. Georgia Tech has given the Tar Heels problems as of late (0-2 in the last two seasons), and Atlanta hasn’t been kind to North Carolina, where they are 2-10 in their last 12 matchups. The Tar Heels need to come into the game prepared and ready to bounce back.

There’s still much to play for to give up on the season after just one loss. The preseason goals are still within reach. Kick-off Saturday versus the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 8:00 PM at Bobby Dodd Stadium on the ACC Network. Go Heels!

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