Dig out your Vanilla Ice CD, Wake Forest and NC State are about to make history
Where were you Nov. 21, 1992?
Now, given The Poll’s popularity among the younger demographic, there’s a strong chance that many of you had not yet been born. But, some historical context that might stir some memories for those of you who were around:
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was the No. 1 movie at the box office. A song called “How Do You Talk to An Angel?” by The Heights (don’t worry, The Poll had never heard of them, either) was atop the charts. It was an innocent time, a simpler time. A time of landline telephones with spiral cords and the magic of 16-bit video games and the wonder of portable music marvels like the Walkman and Discman. And, soon, everyone’s clothes would become entirely too baggy.
That Saturday in Raleigh, N.C., a top-25 matchup between two old bitter Big Four foes played out at Carter-Finley Stadium. Wasn’t much of a game, with No. 13 N.C. State defeating No. 25 Wake Forest, 42-14. Yet the date carries significance, nonetheless, for it’s the last time — the only time, in fact — that the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons have met as ranked teams in football.
It happens again this weekend in Winston-Salem, where No. 13 Wake Forest hosts No. 21 N.C. State in a game with mighty large implications in the ACC’s Atlantic Division race. So not only does the Wake-State game on Saturday carry some significant meaning, for a change. It also underscores the rarity of this sort of match-up among North Carolina’s Big Four teams.
Football games among the Big Four are pretty much the complete historical opposite of their rivalries in basketball. Nothing revelatory there. But to give you an idea of how rare this really is, Saturday will be the 115th time that N.C. State and Wake play one another in football. They’ve played every year since 1910. And this is just the second time they’re meeting as top 25 teams.
So break out the Vanilla Ice CD and the Zubaz apparel (these are early 1990s references, folks) and treat yourself to Week 10 of the All-Carolina Poll:
1. Wake Forest (8-1, 5-0 ACC)
Previous ranking: 1
Last week: L 58-55 at North Carolina
Up next: vs. N.C. State, Saturday
For the second consecutive season, the Demon Deacons suffered a come-from-ahead defeat against North Carolina. This one has to sting worse, given that Wake essentially knocked itself out of the playoff discussion with a curious fourth-quarter meltdown in Chapel Hill. A victory against N.C. State would prove to be quite the elixir.
2. N.C. State (7-2, 4-1 ACC)
Previous ranking: 2
Last week: W 28-14 at Florida State
Up next: at Wake Forest
A workmanlike victory against a depleted Florida State team sets up the most intriguing conference game in Winston-Salem since ... ? Not only is this just the second time State and Wake are playing as ranked teams, but this is just the sixth time they’ve been ranked at any point in the same season (joining 2003, 1992, 1979, 1947 and 1946).
3. North Carolina (5-4, 3-3 ACC)
Previous ranking: 6
Last week: W 58-55 vs. Wake Forest
Up next: at Pittsburgh, Thursday
Like a wise man once said: That’s why there’s four quarters. UNC resembled the rally-prone Tar Heels of recent seasons past on Saturday when they erased an 18-point deficit and sealed an improbable victory with a late flurry of touchdowns. Might just the team that was once the ultimate disappointment become the ultimate spoiler over the final few weeks?
4. Coastal Carolina (8-1, 4-1 Sun Belt)
Previous ranking: 4
Last week: W 28-8 at Georgia Southern
Up next: vs. Georgia State, Saturday
The Chanticleers had little trouble defeating struggling Georgia Southern on Saturday, even without dynamic quarterback Grayson McCall, who’s out indefinitely with an injury. The bad news: Coastal averaged its fewest yards per play of the season (5) and also generated a season-low 305 yards in McCall’s absence.
T-5. Appalachian State (7-2, 4-1 Sun Belt)
Previous ranking: 3
Last week: W 48-14 at Arkansas State
Up next: vs. South Alabama, Saturday
In light of App’s unexpected drop in The Poll, The Poll would like to reiterate that it is made up of votes from McClatchy newspapers throughout the Carolinas, from Raleigh to Columbia, from Durham to Myrtle Beach, and that The Poll does not represent the opinion of any one person, but that of those, collectively, who constitute The Poll.
T-5. Clemson (6-3, 5-2 ACC)
Previous ranking: 5
Last week: W 30-24 at Louisville
Up next: vs. Connecticut, Saturday
Exhibit one billion for the old adage that victories always look the same in win column came Saturday night in Louisville, where the Cardinals appeared poised for a last-second dramatic victory and then ... just collapsed near the goal line. Clemson escaped, and its (slim, but not totally far-fetched) hopes of winning the Atlantic remain intact.
7. South Carolina (5-4, 2-4 SEC)
Previous ranking: 7
Last week: W 40-17 vs. Florida
Up next: at Missouri, Saturday
No, Gamecocks fans, you didn’t dream it. It’s still real, days later. And who cares if Florida, it appears, has pretty much stopped playing for Dan Mullen and his coaching staff? The 23-point victory was South Carolina’s largest ever against the Gators, and it provided Shane Beamer with an emphatic highlight in his inaugural season.
8. ECU (5-4, 3-2 American)
Previous ranking: 8
Last week: W 45-3 vs. Temple
Up next: at Memphis, Saturday
Holton Ahlers, the Greenville Little League hero turned hometown quarterback, has made it his mission to lead the Pirates back to a bowl game for the first time since 2014. It’ll happen with one more win, though ECU should have a good shot for victories both this weekend and next, against Navy.
9. Charlotte (5-4, 3-2 Conference USA)
Previous ranking: 10
Last week: W 31-24 vs. Rice
Up next: at Louisiana Tech, Saturday
First-ever game between the 49ers and Louisiana Tech, which has lost five consecutive games — a streak that began with its defeat at N.C. State on Oct. 2. One more victory and the 49ers will achieve bowl eligibility for the second time in school history, and The Poll will take credit for its restraint in resisting a joke about the Duke win not counting toward bowl eligibility.
10. Duke (3-6, 0-5 ACC)
Previous ranking: 9
Last week: L 54-29 vs. Pittsburgh
Up next: at Virginia Tech, Saturday
We can say with some assurance that this is the last time Duke will face a Virginia Tech team coached by Justin Fuente. Will it be the last time Virginia Tech faces a Duke team coached by David Cutcliffe? He’s worked wonders during his tenure with the Blue Devils but the trip Saturday to Blacksburg offers Duke perhaps its last best chance for an ACC victory.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 1:10 PM.
