This is the same flimsy straw man argument that every Mack supporter always presents. I don’t know a single UNC fan that actually expects us to be Georgia/Alabama/Ohio State. No meaningful segment of the fan base feels that way.
UNC Football Catch-All Thread 2024 Season | End of Mack Brown 2.0, Bowl in Boston Dec 28
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It wasn’t the 9-5 record in ‘22 that was bothersome; it was how it happened. 9-1 on November 12th to end the season at 9-5. The season included the ridiculous Appalachian State game (40 points in the 4th Q), barely sneaking by Georgia State, losing to Georgia Tech (were they on their 3rd string QB?), losing to ncsulol, getting blown out by Clemson who put their 2nd team QB in and he killed us.
The 8-5 season in 2023 wasn’t bothersome; it was how it happened. From 6-0 in October to 8-5 to end the season…..losing in embarrassing fashion to ncsulol and West Virginia. The App State and d00k wins were in Double OT.
The defense was atrocious both years.
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The 2023 absolutely should have resulted in Coach Brown being forced to step down. That team should have won minimum 2 more games and likely 3-4 more with reasonable gameday prep and in-game coaching. While it's true that we shouldn't expect to be Alabama, we should expect to beat teams where we are clearly more talented and experienced. That didn't happen in 2023.
Well, part of coaching is building the team that is more talented and experienced. I think a lot of the Brown hate is based on his failure to do more with what he built. But that gives him no credit for building it in the first place. I remember well those Fedora, Bunting, Torbush abominations.
Brown needs to retire, and I believe he will. But his performance should be judged as a whole and not just for his inexplicable losses to bad teams.
heelinhell
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There were 22 seasons between Mack Brown's coaching stints at UNC. Out of 22 seasons we had 5 seasons where we finished with more than 7 wins. We had 11 losing seasons during that period under 5 different coaches ( Davis was 0-10 over two seasons where his wins were vacated )
I'm not a big Mack Brown fan and will not be unhappy when he retires or is fired. The point I'm making is that if you look at our 100 year history under 17 different coaches, why does anyone expect Brown's replacement will be any better ?
I hope we will land the next Nick Saban who makes us a perennial top 10 or 20 team , but I'm not expecting it nor do I feel entitled to it...
If we do land the next Nick Saban, he will leave for a P2 elite. So, a new coach won't solve that many problems. Still, Mack can't coach forever. His age is a recruiting liability at this point and his best years are behind him. At this point, it is in everyone's best interest for him to hang em up.
heelinhell
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I agree with you 100%
It will not bother me a bit to see Mack hang 'em up. And I agree that should we hire a Nick Saban we would not be able to keep him over the long run.
We are not a football school with the legacy of the football schools. So if we do catch lightning in a bottle, a football school will snatch him up in a New York minute.
For that same reason Clemson and other football schools will never become a perennial top 10-15 basketball program. The difference is those football school fans don't feel entitled and don't get all bent out of shape about their basketball programs.
ETA: If we beat ncst, win our bowl game, and finish 8-5 ? That will be a season that makes me a happy fan
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I already told @CFordUNC that I would only do a jig for 9 wins. 5 losses with the easiest UNC schedule in recent memory? That would not be very good. But I would at least enjoy a victory over the wuffies.I agree with you 100%
It will not bother me a bit to see Mack hang 'em up. And I agree that should we hire a Nick Saban we would not be able to keep him over the long run.
We are not a football school with the legacy of the football schools. So if we do catch lightning in a bottle, a football school will snatch him up in a New York minute.
For that same reason Clemson and other football schools will never become a perennial top 10-15 basketball program. The difference is those football school fans don't feel entitled and don't get all bent out of shape about their basketball programs.
ETA: If we beat ncst, win our bowl game, and finish 8-5 ? That will be a season that makes me a happy fan
CFordUNC
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I'd crawl across hell in gasoline-soaked skivvies to beat State this weekend.
Turd Ferguson
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Video?
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Ditto
Mulberry Heel
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And for the 9-5 season - wasn't that the first time in college football history that a 9-1 team proceeded to lose its final four games in a row? I seem to remember reading that somewhere. Not exactly the kind of college football history you want to be making.
I’m not expecting to hire the next Nick Saban. Although, if we miraculously hired him, we’d be fools to not pony up the $$$$$ to keep him and the staff he wants.
But, Nick Saban is unique.
We won’t hire the “next” Nick Saban. Why? He doesn’t exist. ‘Bama fans thought The Bear Era was the Golden Age. Saban was ‘Bama’s Platinum Age. No “next” Nick Saban exists.
I’m not expecting to be perennially Top 10 or Top 20.
I’m expecting the years of my childhood - the Dooley Years (I include Crum’s first 5-6 years in the Dooley Years - Crum benefited from Dooley’s recruiting until Crum pissed it all away in NC/VA in favor of Ohio State/Michigan/Penn State rejects from the Midwest).
I’m expecting in a decade:
- 1-2 sub-.500 season (4-8 at the worst; but really 5-7)
- 1-2 6-6 seasons
- 1-3 7-5 seasons
- 1-3 8-4 seasons
- one 9-3 season
- One 10-2 season (with a shot at a conference title)
- One 11-1 season (with a shot at a conference title)
- I expect NO College Football Play-off Berths
- A conference title once in two decades
- Rarely have a Bottom 10 defense (or offense)
heelinhell
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In two of those losses we did play for the ACC Championship losing to 10th ranked Clemson and by 1 point to 14th ranked Oregon in the Holiday Bowl.
Not an Alabama type season, but far better than most seasons in our 100year history
Mulberry Heel
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So we shouldn't aspire to something better? And we still lost our bowl game - losing by one is still a loss, and Mack's overall bowl record since returning is 1-4. Whoopee. And getting clobbered by Clemson in the ACC title game doesn't make up for being the first 9-1 college team to then lose its last four games. The general consensus among most fans seems to be that Mack's time at UNC should end, but I fear that the powers-that-be are willing to settle for a few more seasons of this, until the stands are pretty much 90% empty.In two of those losses we did play for the ACC Championship losing to 10th ranked Clemson and by 1 point to 14th ranked Oregon in the Holiday Bowl.
Not an Alabama type season, but far better than most seasons in our 100year history
Callatoroy
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How in the hell can we be almost polar opposites in our political views, yet almost see eye to eye regarding UNC sports?
4thgenheel
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there's nothing even remotely mysterious about that divergence.
circlesky88
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Today’s game comes down to one thing imo, whether or not we can run the ball. If we can we can win, if we can’t we don’t win.
Mulberry Heel
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Agreed, but coming out fired up and ready to play would also be nice. I've definitely gotten the sense that the enthusiasm gap has been decidedly in State's favor in recent years. We'll see if Mack will be fired up for his final game ever as UNC's coach. I hope so.
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Watching this team is truly just a bad experience but far, far worse is the inept nature of this league's officials. I've sincerely never seen anything like it.