For North Carolina, there is a path to the top.
The Tar Heels can play in the 2020 ACC Championship Game on Dec. 19 in Charlotte. Miami rallying to beat N.C. State on Friday didn't help UNC's chances, nor did Notre Dame upsetting Clemson on Saturday. But the Tar Heels still can make it to Bank of America Stadium to compete for their first ACC title since 1980.
One huge proviso, of course: winning. There can be no further slippage. UNC (5-2 ACC) must beat Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Miami to finish out its ACC schedule with an 8-2 record and be in position to claim a head-to-head tiebreaker for a spot in the title game.
And get some help. That's another huge proviso.
In the year of the pandemic, the top two teams in the ACC standings will compete for the 2020 championship, and Notre Dame — at least this season — is competing for the conference football title.
Given that Clemson (6-1 ACC) might not slip again, the Tar Heels will need someone else to knock off the undefeated Irish (6-0 ACC). Notre Dame goes to Boston College this coming week, plays at UNC on Nov. 27, then ends its first ACC season with a home game against Syracuse before wrapping up at Wake Forest on Dec. 12.
While the BC game could be a struggle for Notre Dame, the Deacons (3-2 ACC) might be the Tar Heels' best hope against the Irish. Wake Forest has been steadily improving throughout the season after opening with losses to Clemson and N.C. State.
That's a UNC obstacle for now. Wake Forest topped the Tar Heels 24-18 last year and UNC coach Mack Brown said Saturday the Deacons physically beat up on the Heels in that game.
UNC quarterback Sam Howell passed for 182 yards in last year's game, although the Deacons, who led 21-0 at the half, out-passed and out-rushed the Tar Heels. Wake Forest receiver Sage Surratt tormented UNC's defense and his brother, linebacker Chazz Surratt, with nine receptions for 169 yards and a TD.
Brown said Saturday that the Tar Heels' objective is to "play hard the entire game" — not just at Wake Forest, which will be coming off a bye week, but moving forward. No letups. No more undisciplined penalties. No lapses in concentration.
Brown said the Tar Heels' offense was "on fire" in the first half of Saturday's 56-24 win at Duke. The defense was more effective. Consistency is the key in what should be a brutally challenging three-game ACC stretch.
Do that and North Carolina could be playing for an ACC title for the first time since winning the Coastal Division in 2015 and losing to Clemson in Charlotte. Under the ACC tiebreaker procedure, head-to-head competition is No. 1. For UNC, given the path ahead, the opportunity is there.
