Media members who spend their days talking and writing about ACC football gathered here at the ACC Kickoff the past two days, hours filled with the bluster of hype and predictable preseason discussion about strengths and weaknesses and what to expect in the months ahead.
Every year, players and teams are anointed during these gatherings, and every year others are cast aside, doubted. And so it is for North Carolina. One year after the media made the Tar Heels the favorite to win the Coastal Division, they are now viewed with skepticism, a team in retreat.
The ACC's official preseason poll – the one decided upon during a vote at this event – will not be released until early this week.