Says that Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham is part of the problem, and that the school should turn down going to a bowl this year despite its barely bowl eligible 6-6 record. A highlight:
There are very good reasons to turn down a bowl bid. First, following a dismal 35-7 ass-whoopin’ at home at the hands of NC State, UNC fans are not exactly clamoring to see this Larry Fedora-coached team again. This means that Bubba’s department will almost certainly end up eating thousands of tickets to whatever fourth-tier bowl extends an “invitation” to the Heels — the “invitation” basically being a contract to sell a ton of tickets to the bowl and otherwise spend money on the bowl. In sum, the financial angle says stay home Heels.
Declining a bowl bid would also communicate clearly to Fedora, staff, and players that 6-6 is nothing to be proud of — not with the talent level and resources at UNC. The Tar Heels were a preseason Top 25 pick and by many measures are the the single most underachieving and disappointing team of 2014. The team laid massive eggs in games with in-state rivals ECU and State and showed little improvement or consistency week-to-week. As shows of disapproval go, Bubba would be letting his football program off relatively lightly with no bowl — Auburn immediately fired its defensive coordinator after the Tigers gave up 55 points to hated Alabama. Yet the staff that gave up 70 to ECU and routinely gave up career days to ACC foes remains intact at UNC. Again, Bubba just does not seem to get the big picture here.
And then there is the NCAA matter. Simply put, self-banning this year might save UNC a bowl ban in some future year — a year when the bowl might actually be worth attending. That is a somewhat strategic move, but one not unheard of in the cunning world of big time college sports. In fact, before the State game some UNC fans were wondering out loud about the wisdom of going to a bowl this year.
You can read the rest of Jeff’s column here.
