If Virginia is considered one of the best teams in the ACC, then that conference has a serious problem. That conference is full of frauds, and the Hoos struggling to beat UNC, which has had a season from hell, is proof that its teams shouldn’t be taken seriously. The Cavaliers, while being a one-loss team and being the first team to beat Florida State this year, aren’t as good of a squad as we’re giving them credit for.
UNC has had problems all season, as Bill Belichick is still learning that being the 33rd NFL team is more than just treating your players like NFL athletes. The fact that Virginia struggled to beat UNC on Saturday afternoon, surviving a two-point conversation attempt from the Heels to win the game in overtime, just means they’re not as good as their ranking.
In fact, it makes Florida State look even worse for losing to them, and makes the AP voters look foolish for believing in the Noles the way they have. The ACC has had a weird season and Virginia only made it look worse. The ACC could very well be a two-bid league, though I don’t think they should. If that fate lies in the hands of Virginia, well, it could be a rough College Football Playoff reveal for the ACC in a few weeks.
What does Virginia’s near loss to UNC say about Cavaliers’ College Football Playoff hopes?
Virginia, for better or worse, is still in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but how much did this close win affect that? They looked like a sleeper team in the ACC, stunning Florida State and Louisville and continuing to climb up the rankings. But they aren’t really the team we all think they are, and the UNC game highlighted that.
The Tar Heels game was certainly a trap spot, but needing overtime and scoring 10 points in regulation against a defense that was averaging 31 points allowed in the last three games — well, that’s slightly alarming. I’d rather have another AAC team playing in the CFP than being forced to watch Virginia play against one of the true best 11 teams in the country.
This game will probably hinder their chances at getting to the CFP, unless they somehow manage to beat Georgia Tech in the title game (assuming the Yellow Jackets win out as well). The eye test is a stipulation when evaluating which 12 teams deserve to get in, and right now, Virginia isn’t passing the it. The near-loss to UNC just exacerbated that.
Bill Belichick missing out on his first big win of his new adventure is worst-case scenario for UNC
While Virginia should be mad about the near loss for their own reasons, Belichick not stealing a big home win might just be worse. At least Virginia won, albeit ugly. But UNC should have stolen that one, and the fact that they didn’t is everything wrong with Belichick’s tenure in Chapel Hill.
This team needs something to fight for. They’re now lost four straight games, three of them conference contests, and have five losses on the year. A ranked win over Virginia might have been the perfect scenario for Belichick’s squad to find some momentum for the second half of the season and maybe turn things around.
Instead, the loss highlights the massive struggles the Tar Heels are having this year. They don’t have anything to really feel motivated about right now. They don’t have a respectable opponent left the rest of the yaer, and it may leave them with nothing to play for. Belichick is learning just how hard it is to win, even in the struggling ACC.