FanNation - The Republic of Sport

No, that title is not a misprint. I said football.

Now before you start collapsing in laughter, hear me out. Butch Davis is a recruiting genius, and one of the best coaches (behind Bowden and Beamer) in the ACC. This is his year to shine, and I'm going out on a limb (like I did last year when I predicted Illinois would contend for the Big Ten crown) to say they will contend for the ACC crown.

The ACC has been dismal for the last few years, and except for Va. Tech, Clemson (depending on which half of the season you look at) and Boston College, no other teams have really tried to claw their way up to the top. Perennial contenders Miami and Florida State have been reeling from scandalous off-the-field distractions, and Clemson, Va. Tech and Boston College have benefited from this trend. It is now time for some Tar Heel football.

Last year the Tar Heels posted a 4-8 record, but you need to look a little closer at the games to realize just how close they were to having a winning season. The fact that they had six games on the road didn't help matters, especially when you are playing at East Carolina, at South Florida, at Va Tech, at Wake Forest, at NC State and at Georgia Tech.

The Tar Heels lost to Virginia, 22-20, Va Tech 17-10, South Carolina 21-15, NC State 31-27 and Georgia Tech 27-25; five games lost by seven points or less.

They also beat Miami 33-27 and Maryland 16-13. Some very close games indeed. And it's not luck that made them close, it's Butch Davis' brilliant defensive mind.

Davis has a National Championship ('87 Hurricanes) under his belt from his days in Miami (and gave Larry Coker the 2001 championship with all of his recruited players) and two Super Bowl rings when he was an assistant defensive coach (and eventual DC) for the Dallas Cowboys. It is no accident that Davis' Tar Heels play excellent defense.

It is also no accident that the Tar Heels had the thirtieth best recruiting class for 2008. Davis easily recruited four-star running back Jamal Womble right out from under Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson's backyard, although payback was probably part of the lure. Erickson, of course, had been Davis' predecessor at Miami (Hurricanes), and when Erickson left, the team was in disarray. Numerous NCAA sanctions were handed out in Davis' first year, including over thirty scholarships yanked (over a period of time) and no post season play, despite the Hurricanes' 8-3 record.

But now Davis is at Chapel Hill, and after one year, is ready to make a run for the conference championship.

This year's class includes eleven defensive players (eight 4-stars), and three 4-star offensive players out of a class of nineteen. One of the players to get really excited about is Braden Hanson, a big 6' 5.5" quarterback with a rocket arm and nice touch. He'll have two 4-star WRs to throw to, and knowing Davis, these players could all see significant playing time this season. Couple in last year's fourteenth ranked recruiting class, and you have all the makings of a powerhouse in-the-making for 2008.

Their schedule, compared to last year's, is a little more forgiving this year. They play home games against Va. Tech, UConn, Notre Dame, Boston College, Georgia Tech and NC State, and away games against Rutgers, Miami, Virginia, Maryland and Duke. They don't play Florida State, Clemson or Wake Forest this year. With Ryan gone from BC, and Va. Tech not looking as ferocious as they once were in the early-to-mid 2000's, the Tar Heels may catch everyone by surprise.

Thankfully, health is no longer an urgent issue for Butch Davis, who had a cancerous (non-Hodgkins lymphoma) growth removed from his gum a year ago. He has undergone chemotherapy and radiation as a precaution, and no signs of cancer have been found after further testing.

Like his team, Davis is a fighter who knows the battle will be uphill, but there's this growing optimism in Chapel Hill that finally, North Carolina sports fans can look forward to the Fall, and not just March anymore.

Take the Heels in the spread, and bet the under.

*photos courtesy of Inside Carolina, Stateuniversity.com, ncmentor.org.