The University of North Carolina is strutting its way to the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte against No. 1 Clemson. The Tar Heels have not lost since the season opener against South Carolina, coincidentally played in Charlotte, and have only hit their stride now in epic fashion. The Tar Heels left Pittsburgh with a 26-19 win a few weeks ago and have followed that up with blowout wins over Duke (66-31) and Miami (59-21). A division that typically waits for one team to rise up and take it has officially been taken by North Carolina, and they should not be apologizing for how they are doing it.
During UNC’s victory over Miami, Marquise Williams and Ryan Switzer each scored touchdowns and celebrated by throwing up the hand gesture commonly used by Miami players forming a “U,” only to turn it upside down in a show of disrespect. This is certainly nothing that has never been done before by Miami rivals, and a number of players over the years have done something similar to the Texas Longhorns hook’em horns hand signal. Williams and Switzer each apologized for that show of disrespect for Miami after the game.
“We knew [Miami] would come here and talk a lot of junk, but that’s something we shouldn’t have done,” Williams said, according to Joe Ovies of WRAL Sports Fan. “You’re in the heat of the moment and it’s cool to do something, but you’ve got to show class. I told Ryan we can’t do things like that even if it was something you just felt like doing to let them know ‘we’re in this game the whole night.’”
Credit both players for apologizing for the unsportsmanlike gestures, but UNC is now on track to play in its first ACC Championship Game in program history and hopes to spoil the championship plans of Clemson. Should UNC manage to upset Clemson, it could potentially knock the ACC out of the College Football Playoff. A one-loss UNC with an ACC title could make a late push but the sense seems to suggest the Tar Heels may still need some help elsewhere to crack the top four. Is that fair? Who knows. There are too many unknowns right now. But if UNC does knock Clemson, and thus, the ACC out of the playoff, there will be no reason to apologize. They’re just taking care of business.
North Carolina is one win away, or one Pittsburgh loss, from clinching the division. UNC faces Virgina Tech this Saturday.
