CHAPEL HILL -- A win today would give North Carolina a sweep of N.C. State, Duke and East Carolina this season.
The Tar Heels would be "state champions," the unofficial title popularized by former UNC coach Mack Brown in the 1990s and revived by Wolfpack coach Tom O'Brien last November.
After State's 41-10 win at UNC last season, O'Brien declared the Wolfpack "the best football program in the state, without question." The Pack, which went 4-0 against in-state opponents, also used the "state champions" moniker on its Web site to celebrate the 2008 season and sell tickets for '09.
Win or lose, UNC coach Butch Davis has no plans to claim the mythical title or return such a bold volley to O'Brien. When Davis was asked if he talked about the state title or if it was a team goal, he said:
"No." Davis shook his head, stopped for a second and then repeated himself. "Nope."
Davis and O'Brien are different coaches with different approaches to the rivalry. O'Brien has embraced rivalry games with UNC, Duke, Wake Forest and ECU, perhaps because he spent 10 seasons at Boston College without a consistent foil, either geographically or historically.
A sense of rivalry was hardwired into O'Brien's DNA at the Naval Academy, where beating Army is a close second to breathing. O'Brien has endeared himself to State fans with a 2-0 record against the Tar Heels. His predecessor Chuck Amato lost three straight in the series, which was no small reason for his ouster in 2006.
"You treat every game the same, but certainly there are some games within your schedule that are more important than others," O'Brien said. "And you know by the tenor of your fans. They can tell. The kids can tell walking around that one game is a little more important than others."
N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson says O'Brien approaches even the big rivalry games with the same mindset.
"I don't think he really changes his style. I don't think he begins to be rah-rah and jumps up and down or anything like that," Wilson said. "It's just an atmosphere that everybody kind of gets to once they step into the stadium, and you kind of build it up throughout the week."
While there was heat between Amato and former UNC coach John Bunting, both former linebackers in the rivalry, O'Brien and Davis are cordial, even friendly, going back to their time together in the Big East.
There's little change in Davis' demeanor on a weekly basis. He begins each Monday news conference by calling the opponent a "huge challenge," whether it's The Citadel or Virginia Tech, and then picks a particular aspect of each team to praise.
He usually does so with unintentional hyperbole, comparing a receiver at The Citadel with Reggie Wayne or the Florida State quarterback with Brett Favre.
Davis did call this a "big week" on Monday, but he did so in a telemarketer's voice, with almost no inflection or emotion.
"Maybe I'm getting too old," Davis gave as a reason he doesn't show an outward emotion when meeting with the media. "[Rivalry games] are important, and they do mean something, they really do."
Davis said his calm, straightforward approach is a holdover from his time at Miami and with the Dallas Cowboys.
"It's about your team," Davis said. "You have to have high expectations and say, 'This is the level we're going to play at, no matter who you play.' "
Even after emotional wins over Duke (to qualify for a bowl), and Miami (Davis' former team), Davis stuck to the same message with the media, but his players noticed a subtle difference after the Miami win.
"You can just tell by the way he talks about it that it means a little more," cornerback Kendric Burney said after UNC's 33-24 win over Miami on Nov. 14.
Davis' approach has rubbed off on the Heels, who have won eight games for the second straight season after finishing 3-9 in Bunting's final season in 2006 and 4-8 in Davis' first in '07.
This UNC team could have stayed down after losing 30-27 to Florida State on Oct. 22 and falling to 0-3 in the ACC. Instead, they have won four straight and are on their way to a second consecutive bowl trip.
Davis attributes the Heels' resiliency to the "12-hour rule," the allotted time to celebrate a win or ponder a loss. There's a place and time to look back, Davis said, and it's not in the middle of the season.
"At the end of the season we'll look back at how many good times we had," Davis said.
The third-year coach wants to add a win over the Wolfpack to the list, even if doesn't make a big deal about it.
