UNC’s Early Concerns Overshadowed by ACC’s Larger Letdowns

While the Tar Heels are struggling, there teams that are in even worse situations. Just look at its ACC counterparts in Clemson, Duke and Virginia Tech

Clemson entered the season as the media’s pick to win the ACC and a popular choice for national title contention, thanks to a loaded receiving corps and a defense regarded among the nation’s best. With quarterback Cade Klubnik returning, some even pegged him as a potential Heisman candidate.

Clemson, who entered as the No. 4 team in the preseason AP Poll, is now unranked after it stumbled to a 1-2 start with losses to LSU and Georgia Tech, and quarterback Cade Klubnik has delivered only uneven play. The Tigers narrowly avoided an 0-3 record, rallying from a 16-3 halftime deficit against Troy to score 24 unanswered points in the second half for a 27-16 win.

Duke was considered to be one of the ACC's biggest sleepers, and the media in attendance at the ACC Kickoff picked Duke to finish sixth. The Blue Devils returned 13 starters from last season, including first-teamm All-ACC cornerback Chandler Rivers, and brought in quarterback Darian Mensah through the portal.

While Mensah has flourished at his new school — ranking third nationally with 1,036 passing yards and adding eight touchdowns — the rest of his team has lagged behind. The Blue Devils sit at 1-2 following losses to a top-10 Illinois squad (yes, in football) and Tulane, Mensah’s former program.

Virginia Tech once set the standard in the ACC, winning 10 or more games every season from 2004 to 2011 and capturing four conference championships during that stretch. Since Frank Beamer’s retirement, however, the Hokies have struggled to regain that form — and this season could mark a new low.

The Hokies are 0-3, something that hasn't happened since 1987. Tech's head coach, Brent Pry, was fired after the Hokies lost 45-26 to Old Dominion at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg and were down 38-7 going into the fourth quarter.

To Finalize Everything

While North Carolina is still trying to find its identity, a lot of fans would rather be in North Carolina's spot than the three aforementioned teams above.

North Carolina is on the verge of finally turning a corner, especially if it can pick up a huge road victory over a good UCF team this weekend. That also depends on the play of the offensive line as well as its quarterback Gio Lopez.

However, things could easily spiral out of control like it has in Blacksburg, Clemson and Durham.

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