It’s been a curious season of Carolina football. Expectations were tempered to start the season, then perhaps grew out of control after the Tar Heels reeled off six straight wins after the Notre Dame loss, four of them by a single possession. Now that UNC staggered into the ACC Championship game with two head-scratching losses to teams they were favored to beat at Kenan Stadium, Mack Brown and crew can walk into Bank of America Stadium without the weight of expectations crushing their shoulders. It’s time to play with house money.
Clemson, winners of six of the last seven ACC championships, are in the midst of a comparatively down season.