The big question on campus this week is whether or not the North Carolina football team can pull off the biggest upset of the season, and perhaps program history, by beating No. 1Clemson, the reigning national champions, on Saturday.
The easy answer, for most, is no.
The Tigers have been near the top of college football for seasons, dominating offensively with sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a slew of super-talented players. UNC, on the other hand, has experienced far less success. After winning its first two games of the season in dramatic fashion, UNC has unravelled, losing its last two games to beatable Wake Forest and Appalachian State teams.
The Tigers are a heavy favorite to win their 20th straight game, with the Tar Heels being 26.5-point underdogs at home. Clemson is coming off a 52-10 win over UNC-Charlotte last weekend, and has won every game this season by at least two touchdowns.
Statistics aside, though, here's what UNC students are saying about Saturday’s contest:
Sophomore Solenn de Larminat believes Clemson is just too good a team for UNC to beat – an unsurprisingly popular opinion among UNC students. Junior Maggie Pollard agreed.
“I think it’s more likely that Trump will be impeached than for Carolina to win,” she said. “I think we only have a five percent chance of winning, but you never know.”
Students also said that the team's first two wins showed that the Tar Heels have the pieces to be competitive, but they need to be more reliable for the entire 60-minute game.
“Honestly, we’re probably going to get slapped, because the past couple of games haven’t been as consistent,” sophomore Evan Castillo said. “The first two games we did really well and that gave us hope, but as we’ve played more, that’s dropped off.”
