That's what MrTarHeel has in store for tomorrow in Chapel Hill. The sky will be Carolina Blue. Rameses will be eating grass. There will be echoes of the Marching Tar Heels in the air.

Not bad for a Saturday.

Here is a true statement. "THE TAR HEELS CAN WIN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN FOOTBALL".

We are still undefeated( haven't played a game yet ). Hope is a wonderful thing.

Of course, most likely the Heels won't go undefeated ...but they could. And, they don't need to go undefeated to have a successful season. Most fans probably think an 8 or 9 win season is progress. Get a bowl win this season. That would be super.

But what if they did better? What if Butch IS really a football genius. What if the speed and experience of this team helps them beat the teams they couldn't put away last year?

Yea, I know ...maybe I have started early on the bourbon.

But, what if?

MrTarHeel

Go Heels!

Coming off of a year in which the ACC sent a bunch of teams to bowl games and the headline coaches that have joined the ACC are in their 2nd and 3rd years we could see some special things happen in the ACC this season.

Of course, this is the time of year to think outside of the box. No one has lost a game yet and they all look good on paper. So, WHO COULD GO UNDEFEATED?

Here are the teams I think have a chance. Ga Tech, Wake Forest, and North Carolina.

Fla State and Va Tech will have good teams but Va Tech has to play Alabama, Nebraska, and Ga Tech. Fla State has to play Florida.

Ga Tech, Wake, and Carolina have a chance because of their schedules. There are no powerhouses they have to play so if they play above average and consistent football one of them could pull it off.

My money would be on Ga Tech. They would have to beat Georgia in the season finale but they did that last year. The Paul Johnson offense is different enough that if the players execute well they can beat almost anyone. Defense will be an issue for them but they have enough good players back that maybe they can play well enough to win.

Sure, it is unlikely that they will beat Clemson, Miami, UNC, Miss State, Fla State....but they could.

Wake Forest has the easiest schedule and a senior QB. A lot of folks might be overlooking them this year....they are well coached and could very well go undefeated and not be the best ACC team because of their schedule.

UNC has a small chance but would have to play way over their heads. They are starting over at the WR position. Offensive line might be tricky. If you believe in Butch Davis and believe that a more experienced UNC team could beat likes of ECU, Ga Tech, Fla State, and Miami then you have to give them a chance.

All of these teams have a chance at a good 9-3 season.

Can one of them make history this year and run the table? Get the bandwagon ready if so!

MrTarHeel
www.mrtarheel.com

VISIT WWW.MRTARHEEL.COM

Rivalries are fun!  

I think that view is missing the biggest factor in their successful season. TEAM, TEAM, TEAM!

The impressive thing to me about this team is how they took great individual talents, blended them, and totally focused on winning games. Credit goes to the young men on the team and to Coach Roy and his staff.

They didn't win the championship because of Tyler Hansbrough. They didn't win it because of Ty Lawson. They won because no one put themselves ahead of the TEAM.

In the last 2 games have you ever seen Carolina defense like that? It was super. Did you ever think that Dean Thompson would play so well early in the championship game and really get the rally going? How about Bobby Frasor jumping in there and grabbing that rebound when the Spartans were trying to make a run? How about the most prolific player in UNC history ( Psycho T ) getting so excited when he passed the ball to Deon and he made a shot and went to the line. It was all about the TEAM winning.

COMMON PURPOSE.

DETERMINATION.

SACRIFICE.

HARD WORK.

That's why they won. And why the 2009 team will go down as one of my favorites.

MrTarHeel

In his post game press conference Coach Roy Williams of the UNC Tar Heels used a colorful word to describe the team's defense...a word that starts with "F". He meant to say "frickin"...

I don't know if it is related but he just recently played a game where he was close to Coach K for an entire game so I don't know if he picked up that colorful language from the "legendary" Dook coach or not....

We would prefer our heroes and legends not use that and a few other words.......but they do.

We would prefer that folks of great accomplishment provide a pristine example of how to make their point without using foul language....but they occasionally don't.

What I really really prefer is that my favorite coach in the world teach the UNC players how to compete, how to give maximum effort, how to play the game with good sportsmanship, and how to work harder than your opponent.  Ol' Roy does that and much more.

So coach...easy on the swears.....Beat Dook.....and we'll see you in the Final Four.

Go Heels!

Mr Tar Heel

This year the only thing that might keep Psycho T from another Player of the Year and maybe a National Championship is the dreaded INJURY BUG.

UNC has 2 Tylers....and both are injured. The really really good one ( Psycho T ) should be back playing soon and hopefully in good shape for the ACC season. The new Tyler ( Zeller ) might not play again this year. Ginyard is still out. Surely there will be others...just hopefully not too many and not too serious.

Hansbrough can't carry this team to a Final Four....he needs his teammates to do their part. The injury bug needs to be satisfied with what he has already done and then move on. We need our best players to be there all season while we see if they can make a good run to the Final Four.

So far, I am really excited about having Bobby Frasor back. I am excited about the defensive "frenzy" that we showed against Kentucky. I really like Ed Davis...he reminds me of Sam Perkins...a lefty who is smooooth.

Looks like it will be another fun season in Blue Heaven!

Where once our walk on the Kenan stadium concourse was somewhat of a bridge to nowhere just to get us to basketball season it now fills us with pride in the team we support.

I don't know if we will finish 8-4 or 10-2 or 11-1 but I do know that what we have seen so far this year is a team that has embraced the concept of "team". They play for each other and they enjoy winning together. And they never give up.

That's real change.

In the past we have had leadership that left us wondering if they really knew what they were doing.

There is no question that Butch and Company know what they doing. And right now they are leading this program extremely well and giving the players and fans hope for a brighter future for UNC football.

Butch Davis is a reformer. He has taken the failed policies of our football past and discarded them. He has taken players that seemed pretty average a few years ago and helped them become some of the best players in the ACC.

Can the Heels finish strong and be a top 20 team at the end of the year? I don't know. If you asked the players I bet they would give you one answer....

YES WE CAN!

Go Heels!
www.mrtarheel.com

I didn't figure the Heels to be 3-1 at this point. But they are.

Now, they have a good top 25 team coming to Chapel Hill. and an opportunity to start a climb back into the national top 25 conversation.

Win the game. Win lots of hard earned respect and maybe show that the program is progressing faster than we all thought.

Lose the game. Well, that would put the Heels about where many thought.

It should be exciting....I could see the Heels winning this one with the support of a home crowd. I could also see them losing it to a more experienced team.

Either way, I am impressed with the football program at this point. and can't wait for Saturday!

I thought the Heels would be 1-1 at this point with a chance to beat Va Tech coming up in Chapel Hill. In this case, I like being wrong.

Carolina will either be 3-0 and have a lot of momentum behind them OR they will be 2-1 and right where I thought they would be a month ago. A good young team on their way to an 8 win season.

I don't think the game against Rutgers can really tell us how good these Heels are but it does tell us that they are much more aggressive and confident this year. Va Tech doesn't seem to be their usual self this year but that was expected. If we beat them we will have pretty good confirmation that the program is going in the right direction.

If the Heels beat Va Tech then you would have to say that the Heels could possibly win all of their remaining games. That won't happen but I don't see anyone else on the schedule who is way out of their league. Uconn looks good and Miami has talent. Maryland got a good win. But those games could go either way.

Things change fast in college football so we don't know which teams will start playing better as the season goes on. Right now it is still very possible for the Heels to have that 8-4 season.

And I would be one happy Tar Heel.

With a new emphasis on running straight up the field instead of dancing side to side, Tate was terrific and clearly looked like the best player on the field.

While Carolina can't depend on that happening every game ( teams will probably kick away from him on punts,etc from now on ) they can be confident that they have a bona fide playmaker on offense.

Tate's 397 yards of offense is the 2nd highest total in ACC history.

Going forward, the Heels will need other players to step forward and play to Tate's level in order to beat the likes of Rutgers, Va Tech, etc. Hopefully, the players that step up will be on defense as there was not much on the defensive side of the ball to be excited about Saturday night.

Game 1 is in the books. Heels are 1-0 and have a lot to work on in practice to prepare for Rutgers.

Go Heels!

ACC Wonderlic Test

( a test designed for  fans and players to test their understanding of the ACC )

1. The Duke football program hires Coach Cutcliffe, paints the restrooms at Wallace Wade, hires a new athletic director, excites the fan base, and makes a renewed commitment to football. When will Coach Cutcliffe get fired?

a. Year 2
b. Year 4
c. Year 5
d. Year 1
 

 2. Which number is higher?

      a. The number of Clemson football players arrested this year
      b. Ralph Freidgen's cholesterol level
      c. The number of basketball players transfering FROM Duke
      d. The number of players at Fla St involved in cheating scandals

3. In 2004, TA MClendon of NC State fumbled the ball on the last play to secure a UNC football victory. Which of the following is more unbelievable? 

a. Pack fans whining about the supposed bad call.
b. Chuck Amato consistently losing to Coach Bunting
c. Coach Amato believing he should still be the NC State head coach
d. John Bunting believing he should still be the UNC head coach

4. In 2007, Riley Skinner, the QB for Wake Forest, had nude photos of himself released to the internet by a former girlfriend. Which of the following is true?

a. Riley now gets hit on a lot by Wake Forest college girls
b. Riley now gets hit on a lot by Wake Forest college boys
c. Riley has a new meaning for the “spread” offense
d. Riley was just running the “naked bootleg”

5. If a Fla State football player receives $25,000 from a booster, what should he do?

a. Hold out for more if the Lexus he wants costs $40,000
b. Do the responsible thing and invest the money in a health care mutual fund
c. Encourage team unity by buying new glocks for fellow teammates
d. Let Coach Bowden know and accept his punishment of running steps 2 days in a row

6. Which of the following is the most hideous?

a. the white sunglasses Chuck Amato used to wear
b. the worst looking cheerleader at Duke
c. the smell coming from under the bleachers at Carter-Finley
d. Sidney Lowe explaining why he can’t win as many games as Sendek

7. In 2008, an ACC football team will win their first 7 games and be ranked in the top 10. Then they will lose their remaining 5 games. What are the chances that Tommy Bowden retains his job at the end of the season?

a. 50%
b. 20%
c. 75%
d. 0%

8. Coach K has many former players and assistants who are now in the coaching profession. Which one should you not ask Coach K about?

a. Quin Snyder
b. Tommy Amaker
c. Pete Gaudet

9. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Which of the following best describes when Hell freezes over?

a. when Duke football wins 5 games in a season
b. when NC State wins a national championship in football or basketball
c. when the University of Miami football players attend all their classes that day
d. when Gary Williams gets hired to do an anti-perspirant commercial

10. What is enormous, filled with hot air, and will be seen at Kenan Stadium this fall?

 Charlie Weis
 

11. Which of the following jokes is most true?

a. What does a tornado and a Clemson cheerleader have in common? They both eventually end up in trailer parks.
b. What’s the difference between Cameron Indoor stadium and a porcupine? A porcupine has 8000 xxxxxx on the outside!
c. What’s the difference between an NC State cheerleader and a toilet bowl. The toilet bowl doesn’t follow you around for a week after you use it.
d. Why did the Va Tech grad buy a car? So he wouldn’t have to sit in the dirt anymore at the drive-in movie.
 

12. Four Miami Hurricanes players are driving in a car.  Who's driving?

 - The Police

13. A Clemson fan is 22 years old. His sister is half his age. How many years before they take their son to a Clemson football game?

a. 2
b. 3
c. 1
d. 4
 

Extra credit:

If Danny Ford is brought back to revive the Clemson football program, how many years of probation will the Tigers be facing when he leaves?

- thank you to the other ACC schools for providing the material that makes this test possible - remember, if you can't laugh at yourself, everyone else will.

MrTarheel.com

This photo of Dean Smith and Roy Williams is a terrific photo. Taken in Woollen Gym, this photo shows the 2 men who have made UNC Basketball the success that it is in the modern era( don't forget about the '57 championship when Frank McGuire was there ). If the photo had a title, it would be "Legends" I think.

TA McLendon's fumble in 2004 was one of the more dramatic moments in UNC Football history. Not only was the fumble unexpected but also cost the Wolfpack the game.

THE SHOT.

This is a favorite of thousands of Tar Heel fans also. Important not only because it helped get UNC and Dean Smith a National Championship but also because it was an early indication of what Michael Jordan was going to accomplish in his career.

Classic photo of a Carolina fan showing the "crazies" who's #1.

Nice photo of Michael and Dean at the recent reunion of the '82 Championship team at the Dean dome.

Go Heels!

MrTarHeel

www.mrtarheel.com

In every state, in many countries there are UNC fans. You will see UNC hats or UNC shirts almost anywhere you go.

Ever wonder why?

Well, at my website ( www.mrtarheel.com ) , I have the Tar Heel fan list where visitors can add their story as to why they are Tar Heel fans. When you look at the reasons folks say they are Tar Heel fans some common words and themes come up time and time again....

Class

Winning the right way

Excellence

Dean Smith

Family

I think those are the things that make most Tar Heel fans PROUD to be Tar Heel fans. Dean Smith didn't invent them at UNC but he perfected them.

Of course, everyone has their own reasons for supporting the Heels. And, everyone shows their pride in different and unique ways. How about this tattoo!

Now that is passion for your team right there!

Whether you are young or old you can't go wrong following the Tar Heels. Who could argue that representing things like excellence, family, honesty, and sportsmanship is bad?

I say, do the world a favor. Teach a kid about the Tar Heels.

MrTarHeel

** I came across this Dean Smith story on a Tar Heel message board and wanted to share it with Tar Heel nation...

A friend of mine (who is a State alum, and big Wake fan b/c his Dad went to school there) was signed up to play in a celebrity golf tourney about a month ago due to a company sponsorship. He arrived at the course having no knowledge of who he would be playing with.

At 9 am I got a text message telling me that he was getting ready to tee off and that Dean Smith was in the cart with him. He truly appreciates ACC basketball, so this was a huge thrill for him but I couldn't help but think how the experience was lost on someone with his allegiances.

Anyway, he later told me that Coach Smith was doing quite well and he was very personable and very interestig to talk with. By the way, Dean is no John Daly, but he said he hits it about 185-195 down the pipe - EVERY time.

The funny part of the story came when there was a wait on the 4th tee and the group behind them (Roy Williams' group) caught up while they were sitting on the tee. My friend hit probably his best drive of the day. Roy walked up to him and patted him on the back and said "Man, your really got into that one, didn't you?!" Then Dean, right on cue, said "See Roy, I told you I always could recruit better than you!"

Perhaps this is the year.

2 good reasons are:

Greg Little and Ryan Houston

Coach Davis and his staff I believe are good judges of talent and they tried many different ways to get the ball the Greg Little last season. He has loads of talent and now that they have locked him in at tailback it will be interesting to see if he can provide a needed spark to the UNC running game. Along with Little is Ryan Houston who seems to be more in the mold of the bruising tailbacks that the Heels had during the Mack Brown era. They could be a terrific 1-2 punch in the upcoming season...Little will just run away from you and Houston will just drag defenders with him into the endzone.

All I ask is that whenever we need 1 or 2 yards that these guys can deliver....we haven't had that in a while and it will make a HUGE difference in keeping drives alive.

Last year it seemed that the Heels never found that "go to" guy to get the needed yard...lots of times they tried to pass their way to first downs. I think we will see a tougher attitude from the Heels in the trenches this upcoming season. Being able to control the line and gain those yards on third down will be a crucial part of team success.

UNC was 10th out of 12 ACC teams last year in rushing offense. Guess which team was dead last in 3rd down conversions? That's right. UNC.

The emergence of Carolina's running game will coincide with the return to winning seasons.

MrTarHeel

ENJOY MY WEBSITE AT  www.mrtarheel.com