Welcome to the A. C. C. Panic room alongside Lauren Brownlow. I'm joe obvious when Brownlow is not watching the sports ball. She's watching trash reality television. Um are you watching Survivor again? Listen, there is a season airing as we speak, okay Wednesday nights. Um so yes, I am watching the season and I would say honestly of the reality shows that's probably like upper tier in the class department if we're being fair, like that's like an Emmy winning show. It's an interesting show. It's like highbrow reality. It's had it's had a long run. I mean I remember when Survivor debuted after a Super bowl like 20 some odd years ago, whatever that was. I was very excited about that fun fact, Jeff probst has an age since then. So it is wild how he has an age. That is pretty wild. Although um recently a Survivor episode had an A. C. C. Tai yes, I didn't know this until after the fact because one of my front runners honestly to win the whole show this year was named Lindsay and she was on the tribe that was dominating. They had never had to vote somebody out and then the first time they had to vote somebody out the way they edited in any way made it totally seemed like she just suddenly got paranoid for some reason was like is it me, is it me, is it me and everybody was like it's not you but it might be now and then it was and then and I found out like I was reading something about her later and she went to state, she said no no no no no NC state this year alone. NC State has like the both ends of the spectrum because she's getting it to you Got Abby lambie who won that. She's rolling competition earlier in the year. She's been celebrated and she's been in the state, it's been great. And then you got the other end of the spectrum, you got the paranoid state grad who gets kicked off survivor. But that's kind of like where things are right now with the wolf pack. Uh It's it's it's this is why the triangle is the most unique area compared to other places in the A. C. C. Because you have a week of what now for the wolf pack, right? Devin leary is done for the season. They lose to Syracuse this window. This team that was positioned as like a once in a lifetime opportunity to win the atlantic division. Oh no we keep butting heads with Clemson and the rest of the letters. Four teams in the A. C. C. That are ranked right now. Or I'm sorry I know that three out of the atlantic and then um no all four from the atlantic. My bad that's right now too. So my point is that there's a lot of teams ranked in the atlantic and there's not a lot of teams right from the coastal and that's what we always have to deal with curse you Carolina because now things are looking up for the tar hills both in football when it comes to the coastal division. And oh, by the way, basketball is positioned as the preseason ap top 25 with a awesome S I inspired image Photoshop that Carolina basketball, twitter twitter account put out, put out earlier this week. I loved the homage to the 1990 1981. S I cover that they did with hubert Davis. It's incredibly well done, incredibly well done regardless. This is kind of where things are right now in the triangle. Everybody's really, really worked up about how Carolina everything comes up for, I mean, I guess, but you know, they still got to do it. And the thing is like, and everybody's like, oh yeah, the coastal set up. Great. Here's the thing about that. Sure you've watched Carolina this year though, are we Sure they're not losing any of these. I'm not like my issue with this year. And the way it's been talked about between the divisions, it's not that it's not lopsided. It is and you have ever right, if you're in the atlantic say that, but it has been set up at times as if like any atlantic team that's in the top 25 would win the coastal by several games. And I'm like, don't know about that, y'all, but whatever. Um, they like Wake might, I would give wake that other than Clemson. Obviously Clemson might win both divisions by several games. We don't know yet. In fact I think it's likely that they do right? But whatever I'm just saying like it's like it's like people talking about it like FBS versus FCS but I presume was a state fan saying I was trying to dress up the coastal for saying something two weeks ago similar to what I just said and then said that I was doing it for drake mais Heisman campaign when my tweet didn't even and I'm like what is going on right now? I think that's a case of people, people being extremely online. I know it's been discussed when you look at what drake has been able to do offensively. His comparables to other potential candidates. You would go, yeah, okay. I can see why drake may but it's not just about stats. And that also gets back to your point, the one that you've been making to me and I know I never listen. You keep pointing out to me that you can't trust Carolina. They're gonna do something to show you that this is why you can't trust him. And look I'm with you. My issue is I look at the rest of their schedule and while they do technically it's not always transitive. But like I'm just saying it could pit do that to them entirely possible. I would imagine that the Wake Forest north Carolina game is gonna be a full on track meet and and who knows the state of N. C. State at the end of the season going to Chapel Hill that might just be given the way that things might be going for the Wolfpack without devin leary. That might just be the game they pour it out for. That becomes easier to set up for Dave Doeren at this point everyone thinks they should win. We could ruin everything for them maybe you know depending on what their situation is and they have nothing to lose at that point. So. 100%. Yeah I'm with you on that and I get again I get where the drake May Heisman talk is coming from when you look at its stats wise however it goes way beyond just the stats. Alright. One other football item before we move to basketball because of the ap preseason top 25 Syracuse has been an absolute joy to see you know like Dino Babers things things were down for Dino Babers last year. This has been the bounce back years of all bounced back years and they're riding riding high off of the top 25 matchup win against the Wolfpack now they've got the next test they've got Syracuse on saturday. I don't know what to make of this game. I don't think Syracuse can pull it off but then again I didn't think Syracuse was gonna pull it off against the Wolfpack defense. Here's the thing there's two I think Syracuse football this year is almost analogous to Drake May in the sense that they're tougher games are ahead of them, so we still have a lot TBD like yes, Drake May is very good, but like we can't be trying these stats out just yet, considering, you know, he's got plenty of football to play and a lot against better defenses than he's faced so far on that Mr twitter mentioned and I are on the same page, so we're in agreement there buddy, but with Syracuse it's just weird like I'm not saying they're not good, they're good, but how good is my question? Like I still feel like we don't know that yet and I'm not saying that because like I don't know, I know maybe I'm trying to nitpick where there's not room to, but at the same time it's like what's their most impressive win before State and with state was against a quarter, like a team that you know, without devin leary and was kind of their first game, full game without him and stuff, they did have a week to gameplay, but whatever um you know, I don't know, like can they move the ball well yes, do they have a pretty good defense. Yes, but what does, how does that translate? And obviously this week is going to tell us a lot because remember they struggled with Virginia at home, like I just still don't know what to make of them, I don't think it's gonna translate well against the tigers. Um I know that the florida state game ended up looking a lot closer than it actually was. But in the course of that game, Clemson absolutely put the hammer down. And what's the, the popular thing to talk about these days in football is the middle eight. If you read, if you read matt rules, way of the panther document, you knew the last four minutes of the half, in the first four minutes of the second half, the middle eight is this huge new trendy thing to do, right? That was like, oh that was like the only like innovating thing he said in there honestly, because at the time we weren't really talking about the middle age. No, you're right, you're right, you're right. Um So if you watched the middle aged Clemson absolutely put the hammer down. Oh my God, florida state. That was like the only portion of the game I watched and I was like, good Lord. Okay. Yes, Yes. So I have a feeling that that what we're seeing at a Clemson is funny, Clemson, I don't think is on the level of the true college football playoff contenders, but this season has been the reminder season from day bow in that group, we're still a step ahead of y'all, we still have better talent than you, We still, you know, I believe in my system and we can also out coach you. So I do think that that's what Clemson seasons ultimately been about to put it in a wire parlance. We're taking back our corners in the A. C. C. You had your one shot last year. Congratulations to pit but we're taking back our corners state. You got us at home taking back our corners. Um Which gets us to a larger picture. I still don't think that Clemson is in a college football playoff contender role despite the fact that the A. C. C. Has these top 25 matchups that they're actually winning because we've got the sec Armageddon situation that might unfold thanks to Alabama Georgia and Tennessee where they can all enter the end of the year with one loss. But you know that's my thing with them though. I think undefeated Clemson a they could still even get better than they are. Like they just continued to get more impressive week by week. They're getting healthier two on defense which I think has helped. Do they have limitations? Sure but I mean if you were objective and looked at Alabama this year do they have limitations? Yes and that's not to say that they're not still really good but like if you're gonna put Alabama in the playoffs because they're Alabama you at least have to consider giving Clemson that same courtesy is all I'm trying to say because Alabama has a lot of flaws they just have breast young and so that's helpful. Um You know and DJ leon Golub has gotten way better. They often seems to kind of be finding its footing this year and like I said it's like like week by week they're getting better. That that that is kind of a hallmark. I feel like for a lot of Davos teams especially lately that they kind of improve as the year goes on and so I think that they could still impress people down the stretch with what they do and I think that an undefeated Clemson, I don't think that they would get shut out. I think that they would have to look pretty ugly down the stretch to get completely shut out. But we'll see. I mean I also think like I said Alabama has visible limit George is the one team for me that I'm like no they're just a machine like they will murder you. And so like not state Tennessee is not really good. They are. I'm not saying that, I'm just saying to me, George is the one team that I look at right now and I'm like oh they're like Alabama levels of, I'm just saying like that to me that's the one team that's different than everybody else but we'll see, we'll see how it shakes out. I think Clemson you know is getting better and I think they could continue to impress people and they're going to get some benefit of the doubt. We'll wrap on basketball. The ap preseason top 25 came out Carolina slotted at number one. I saw that the A. C. C. Preseason media awards came out. I'd like did I read this right? There was one person who did not vote Armando Bacot for A. C. C. First thing There was one team I think there was one which what are we doing? What are we doing? Come on because if he somehow plays terribly this season then that guy gets to say I told you so because that's fun. It's the dumbest thing ever. The question is can north Carolina actually complete the mission? Are we seeing A Redemption Part 2? Because we saw this 1617. Um Carolina up until what the last few minutes against Kansas very much in the back and forth before Kansas eventually pulled away and they've got that taste in their mouth, they want to come back and do it. You got this whole running back situation with some key parts that are missing. You know Pete nance is coming in, brady mannequins out etcetera. Um Are we seeing a 16 17 part two for the Star Hill team? I mean maybe but it is hard to do. Let's not forget it's not an easy thing to do but it's hard for me to discount it being a possibility considering the way the end of last year played out each time you and I were talking about it on panic rooms each and every week it was like how are they still doing this and they just really flipped a switch towards the end of the year there and in the postseason, like they were really, really good, you know, towards the end of the year and into the tournament. And you kept thinking surely they're not going to get out of this jam and then they would and, and then the Duke game was so wild to win the game at Duke and for coach K's final game and then to beat them in the final four. Like you were just sitting there like, wow, wow. Like this is crazy. I do wonder and there's only one way to find out. I do wonder how much of the underdog role versus how they're going to be viewed this year, right? Last year. Last year they were kind of wandering around trying to understand themselves. And then hubert Davis found himself in a situation where he had no choice but to coal to go whole iron five. Right? Dawson Garcia leaves the program for personal reasons that puts brady manic in a position where he had to, had to play more, had to step up and what he did. That's, that's a credit to the manic. And then I also wonder without, this is something that Jillian and I have talked about without going to Cameron where they literally had nothing to lose and they had everything and Caroline and Duke was on the other end, how much of that was a springboard for them for what they did the rest of the way. Right. And now that that's gone, how do you adapt, how do you convert yourself from nobody count? Everybody counted us out were shot in the world to now there's the real expectation tonight and night out be that team. I'm curious. I don't know the and I'm not saying they can't do it. I'm simply saying that there's a psychological element to this that caught up in the in the hysteria of the rivalry stuff and what happened with coach K. That we might be discounting how much of the role that had last year. Yeah, I mean there's probably some of that, but I think you could also make the case to if you wanted that we knew they kind of had that level of talent in them the whole season. They just couldn't put it together. And I think that game and some of how they played down the stretch was like it almost showed them that, oh wow, we really can pull it together and we can and this is what it looks like. And so I think some of the whole run it back elem it's probably part of that too. Like I think they really, we didn't see that team have fun a lot in the beginning of the year. I didn't feel like, but we did towards the end. I mean they were having the best time and I feel like if that's the spirit they kind of go into the season with and they recaptured that part of the N. C. Double A. Tournament run. I think that that's something that they can carry forward. But you're right I mean with expectations and stuff it's different but I do think that that kind of made them see that they could actually finish out games and that they could do it and we I mean none of us were really sure before. No we weren't. Alright let's gonna wrap it up for this edition of the A. C. C. Panic room. We will see you all this weekend with the Syracuse clumsy game. An important matchup between Wake Forest and Boston College that Wake Forest kinda continue to be an intriguing team for a New Year's six bowl game. All sorts of fun. Oh yeah Duke at Miami we really were really like putting in question whether Wake's gonna be boston college. Okay. I was gonna say wait wait learned that from us like come on we'll see you all this weekend.