NC State Wolfpack

By Tony Haynes

The football program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has probably produced as many championships as any team in college football over the last ten years. I kid you not. You see the Tar Heels have formulated an imaginary title they refer to as The State Championship.

It started with former coach Mack Brown, who always tried to motivate his players for games against Big Four opponents by saying that they were playing for the state championship. It is a tradition that has carried on through the post-Brown era.

No wonder the Tar Heels have invented their own little championship: they've won 22 of their last 23 games against in-state opponents. Congratulations, and now for the trophy presentation, here is the commissioner of the state championship committee, Dick Baddour. Oh, I forgot, there is no trophy.

Over the years, I've made it a point to ask other Big Four coaches about the so-called state championship. Wake's Jim Caldwell, Fred Goldsmith and then Carl Franks of Duke, along with former Wolfpack coach Mike O'Cain all said that they didn't know such a title existed.

Unfortunately, there is a flaw in the state championship eligibility system. In its format, UNC only includes Big Four schools. By my way of thinking, Appalachian State, Western Carolina and East Carolina should also be a part of the mix. If we were to include those three schools, the standings would look this way:

1 Appalachian State, 1-0 (victory over Wake)
2 East Carolina, 1-0 (victory over Duke)
3 N. Carolina, 1-0 (victory over Wake)
4 NC State, 0-0
5 Western Carolina, 0-0
6 Duke, 0-1
7 Wake Forest, 0-2

It appears that the race for the mythical, invisible, non-existent State Championship Trophy is wide open this year. And don't be surprised if Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore soon declares that he once played on a team that won the state championship.

The Haynes' World polling department recently took a random poll that asked 400 respondents which team they thought would win this year's state championship. Thirty-six percent favored West Charlotte Senior High. Another 24 percent chose Northern Durham. Another 10 percent either were undecided or didn't know. One kook from Carrboro protested our poll, saying it caused irreversible damage to the environment.

My pick is UNC. Even if the Tar Heels lose their remaining games against in-state foes, they'll retain the title. After all, they're the only ones playing for it.