Olympic Fan
12-30-2008, 01:21 PM
I've been struck by the relatively blase reaction to the fact that three of the Tobacco Road teams are currently ranked No. 1 (UNC), No. 5 (Duke) and No. 6 (Wake Forest) in the AP poll.
It speaks of how used we are are to having our teams in national contention in basketball. Just imagine what would happen if we had similar rankings in football?
We have to imagine, because nothing like this has ever happened -- or even been close. In fact, in the entire history of the state of North Carolina, we've had one school ranked No. 1 for eactly one week -- UNC was No. 1 on Oct. 11, 1948, when Choo Choo Justice was their star. They promptly lost the next week and dropped in the polls.
By contrast, Duke has been ranked No. 1 in the basketball poll for 110 weeks. UNC has been No. 1 for 101 weeks (and counting). N.C. State has 13 weeks as No. 1 and Wake 2. That's a total of 226 weeks to 1 (for football).
When you look at the final polls, you see a similar disparity. No Tobacco Road football team has ever finished No. 1. In fact, the total number of top 10 finishes in the AP (which started in 1936) are:
1938 -- Duke No. 3
1939 -- Duke No. 8
1941 -- Duke No. 2
1943 -- Duke No. 7
1946 -- UNC No. 9
1947 -- UNC No. 9
1948 -- UNC No. 3
1960 -- Duke No. 10
1980 -- UNC No. 10
1981 -- UNC No. 9
1996 -- UNC No. 10
1997 -- UNC No. 6
That's it -- 12 top finishes and seven of those were before the formation of the ACC. Neither Wake Forest nor NC State has ever finished in the AP top 10 (although to be fair, in 1974, when the Pack finished No. 11 in the AP, they did finish No. 9 in the coaches' poll).
By contrast, the Big Four basketball teams have generated 14 final No. 1 rankings (7 by Duke, 6 by UNC and 1 by NC State).
That's more No. 1 finishes in basketball than top 10 finishes in football.
Overall, the Big Four have 75 top 10 finishes in basketball (32 UNC, 28 Duke, 9 NC State, 6 Wake Forest). That may understate things since tghe AP basketball poll only began in 1948-49 -- 11 years later than the football poll. State in 1947 and 48, UNC in 1941 and 1946, Duke in 1942 and 1946 almost certainly would have been top 10 if there rankings in those years.
The current 1-5-6 ranking is not likely to last as the teams knock each other off, but it's worth noting that as recently as 2005, the final poll included No. 2 UNC, No. 3 Duke and No. 5 Wake. The Big Four also had three top 10 teams in 1997.
We've had two teams in the final top 10 too often to count.
Is it any wonder that Tobacco Road is basketball country?
It speaks of how used we are are to having our teams in national contention in basketball. Just imagine what would happen if we had similar rankings in football?
We have to imagine, because nothing like this has ever happened -- or even been close. In fact, in the entire history of the state of North Carolina, we've had one school ranked No. 1 for eactly one week -- UNC was No. 1 on Oct. 11, 1948, when Choo Choo Justice was their star. They promptly lost the next week and dropped in the polls.
By contrast, Duke has been ranked No. 1 in the basketball poll for 110 weeks. UNC has been No. 1 for 101 weeks (and counting). N.C. State has 13 weeks as No. 1 and Wake 2. That's a total of 226 weeks to 1 (for football).
When you look at the final polls, you see a similar disparity. No Tobacco Road football team has ever finished No. 1. In fact, the total number of top 10 finishes in the AP (which started in 1936) are:
1938 -- Duke No. 3
1939 -- Duke No. 8
1941 -- Duke No. 2
1943 -- Duke No. 7
1946 -- UNC No. 9
1947 -- UNC No. 9
1948 -- UNC No. 3
1960 -- Duke No. 10
1980 -- UNC No. 10
1981 -- UNC No. 9
1996 -- UNC No. 10
1997 -- UNC No. 6
That's it -- 12 top finishes and seven of those were before the formation of the ACC. Neither Wake Forest nor NC State has ever finished in the AP top 10 (although to be fair, in 1974, when the Pack finished No. 11 in the AP, they did finish No. 9 in the coaches' poll).
By contrast, the Big Four basketball teams have generated 14 final No. 1 rankings (7 by Duke, 6 by UNC and 1 by NC State).
That's more No. 1 finishes in basketball than top 10 finishes in football.
Overall, the Big Four have 75 top 10 finishes in basketball (32 UNC, 28 Duke, 9 NC State, 6 Wake Forest). That may understate things since tghe AP basketball poll only began in 1948-49 -- 11 years later than the football poll. State in 1947 and 48, UNC in 1941 and 1946, Duke in 1942 and 1946 almost certainly would have been top 10 if there rankings in those years.
The current 1-5-6 ranking is not likely to last as the teams knock each other off, but it's worth noting that as recently as 2005, the final poll included No. 2 UNC, No. 3 Duke and No. 5 Wake. The Big Four also had three top 10 teams in 1997.
We've had two teams in the final top 10 too often to count.
Is it any wonder that Tobacco Road is basketball country?