Let's go ahead and get started with AC C football. The AC C kickoff is over and done with and we've got just about a month until the AC C football season get started. I'm Luis Hernandez. He's Mark Bergin, Mark when we're in kind of the football season. I don't know how much we actually like take away from what people are saying. There's a lot of coach speak. Uh but let's look at what we actually learned uh with the AC C kickoff and let's get started with the team that probably has the most expectations on their shoulders. Uh Aside from maybe Clemson uh in the, the AC C, maybe Florida State up there too. But UN C uh what did, what did you learn about UN C through the AC C kickoff? Well, I wanted to ask you the same thing, Lewis as a UN C alum Drake, May Mac Brown and company getting their time to shine at the podium in Charlotte and it's trying to decipher between what all the coach speak means. I'll say this. I mean, the big question is gonna be, can North Carolina figure out a way to get to the title game after falling off at the end of last season with four consecutive losses to end the 2022 season. So can Drake may make the adjustments to the adjustments now that there's a full season of tape out on him and Lewis, maybe I'm being a little bit petty here but saying I want to get back to the AC C championship game. No, no, no. Like go win the conference, go knock off the golden goose. That is Clemson. That should be your goal. But Matt Brown said it best you win. Everything else is gonna take care of itself, whether the tar heels do that or not. That's an entirely different question. Yeah, because I think that that's like to me when I look at what UN C has to accomplish this season, um I it's, it's difficult because like, you know, UN C has been in these kind of situations before where you have a highly touted prospect at like Sam Howe, for example, uh Mitch Rubis, another example in Chapel Hill, it's, you know, uh there, there's another school, uh in, in Raleigh that likes to try and claim uh QBU. But, um, no, no, I, I'm, I'm just, but I think that, um, you know, there, there's a lot of expectations and hype around this team. So you have to accomplish something similar at very least to last year. And it, it's not like you would see us out here constantly going to the AC C championship game, most of their AC C football success has come, uh, at least from a championship game perspective over the past decade or so. Um, so, I don't know, it's just, it's the expect the UN C would have to reach the same level at the very least that we saw last year. The fall off last year also is a little bit concerning, that's why you bring in someone like Chip Lindsay to, you know, propel this offense forward. Um, a lot of play pieces that have to be fixed, um, that have to be replaced, especially the wide receiver room, but there's a lot of talent coming in. Um, you know, it, it's, I, I think one of like the underrated parts of the uh season that we're gonna be watching from an AC C football perspective is just how division this football takes hold. Um, you know, because it's, that, that's gonna play a huge role. Um, who you're playing. How does your schedule turn out? I mean, so much of the season is just about, hey, who do you play? What's your schedule? Because, you know, that's the difference between, you know, saying, hey, you, you're like a Duke who has to start the season uh against Clemson versus last year with the tar heels. They didn't like a ranked team for like nearly the entire season, Lewis. That, that's just you, you have to, you have to play the teams that are on your schedule. And that's what, like a lot of people. That's no, that's what, that's what they let so many folks put in the, in the Atlantic division would always, you know, be upset about is the fact that if you're in the Atlantic, you have to go through Florida State when Florida State was great. Clemson and all those different teams. Um, and the coastal, meanwhile, always had that bit of chaos surrounding it. Um I don't know, it, it's gonna be interesting because you have, uh obviously Clemson is the assumption is gonna be Clemson again. Um You know, Kate K Club, Nick, what, what he does? Florida State has just, it just screams Florida State is back, you know, when you look at what they are able to accomplish what they have a quarterback, all of that kind of stuff. Um So, I don't know, it's, it's me ask you this, Lewis, let me ask you this. I wanna hop in here and I think this will center our discussion. What is considered a successful season for you with Drake man company with North Carolina because I look at it from the standpoint, haven't won a conference title since 1980. But let say you, Louis Fernandez, I mean, with the expectations that have been placed on this team, I think a return to the AC C championship game would be considered a success. And then it depends how you play that. Ac C championship game. And when you listen to them talking in the AC C kickoff, a lot of UN C players and, and coach Matt Brown really emphasize how much they got beat up in the AC C championship game, just how handily Clemson took care of business. So, you know, then I think that's when you start to look at it. If you don't make the AC C championship game, I mean, what, what's the difference between, you know, how, how is last year not as successful as this year? You know what I mean? Like, and let me make two points to new offensive coordinator. So that's new with a quarterback who's ok, maybe a Heisman candidate, potentially a first round draft pick, one of the top picks in the 2024 draft. And it's not that you don't have talent in the receiver room, but the rapport you had with Josh Downs, the rapport you had with Antoine Green, which don't overlook the fact that he almost got two first downs every single time. He caught the ball for the tar heels last season. So that's what I'm looking for early on is what's the rapport like that Drake May has with his receivers and then with his coaching and the fact that he has a new offensive coordinator. Yeah, because that the offense was really great, but it was almost too Drake may depended. Um, so it's I what I'm looking for with UN C is this uh elevation of play from Drake May, but also an elevation of team around him where you don't have to say, hey, Drake, go win the game. Um That's offensively and defensively. Let's go to some of the other teams in the Triangle Lewis and I want to stir the pot a little bit here. I don't actually believe this. But what happens if Duke somehow upset Clemson, which hasn't happened in like 20 years. It was before Dabo Sweeney was even there. But what happens to where when Riley Leonard, the Duke quarterback flips and says, no, no, no, I'm the best quarterback in this division so much for this Drake May guy over there. I, I think it would have to rely on, hey, a week one major upset against Clemson and let me say this to Luis Fernandez. Now that sports betting is coming to the State of North Carolina right now as it stands, it is a 13 point point line on Clemson, but that game is going to be played, I believe on September the fourth. So here's what's gonna happen. Everyone's gonna be trying to recoup their losses from over the opening weekend of college football. Let me lay it all on Clemson. That 13 point line is going to move to like 16 between now and then. But Duke's gotta be happy because they extend Mike Elko some interest there from outside of Duke. I think that's Duke getting out ahead of, hm, there's a vacancy at Northwestern, there's gonna be other vacancies throughout the course of the season. But can they build on what was a very good season in year one of Mike Elko a year ago and Riley Leonard, he might be the best quarterback here in the Triangle Lewis. I don't actually believe that Duke fans might make that argument though. I um, no, no, I mean, so it's what, what Duke is going through right now. Duke football? I is this, I think classic overreaction, the archetype if you will, where Duke Duke had some really incredible success last year compared to where they were the year before. I, I, you could probably ask, I mean, Duke was I I either pick to finish last or second to last in the AC C last year and then they come out and they, they almost win 10 games. I mean, awesome. You know, that's, that's so great for Duke 99 and four compared to three and 92 and 95 and seven. It had been since 2018, since Duke had made a bowl game. There still is a huge gap in talent between a Duke and a Clemson. 100% Duke is not going to be Clemson. I feel very, I feel very confident about that, but I think Duke can make it very interesting and I do think, I think Briley Leonard deserves to be given his flowers. I think he's gonna be, uh, he was a great quarterback last year. I think he's gonna continue to be a really good quarterback for Duke. Um He's gonna probably build up his draft stock a little bit depending on how the season goes, but I, I just think Duke it, it might be pump the brakes a little bit. The, just the mindset I still have with Duke is they could end up winning fewer games this year, but being a better team than they were last year, that's I think that's trying to get research on to figure out the last time Duke upset Clemson in football too. Not talking about hoops, not talking about it some time. It's been quite some time. Um Either way that was Duke and UN C. Let's go and turn to the last team to try to go to NC State. Um Brendan Armstrong, baby Armstrong and you've got a quarterback named Armstrong. It's like an ice cream man named Cone Lewis Fernandez and maybe I'm drinking the kool-aid a little bit too much, but like NC State has like no expectations going into this year versus I feel like last year you still wind up a top 25 team, but you probably fall short of, hey, you had Devin Leary the preseason player of the year. Obviously, he gets hurt tonn of other injuries across the course of the team going into this year with like no expectations if they even deliver somewhat if they got back into say the top 25 it's like icing on the cake. So that's, that's the question, right? Because I think Duke, I mean, Duke NC State is always gonna have a consistent defense. That's just what that team is. They, that's, that's who, um, that's who Dave Doran is as a coach. They're gonna have a consistent good defense. A lot of the players who left and they had some very key players, especially at linebacker leave, but they're filling in with players who have a lot of experience, uh, either playing because of injuries or just getting reps on the field in general. So I don't think there's gonna be this huge dropout with the defense, so it's all gonna come down to can that offense catch up. Um And I think Brendan Armstrong, you know, if he can obviously go back to what he was two years ago, then, yes. And, and that's why you bring in someone like Robert and I, an offensive coordinator to help propel state to that point, but it still is gonna be about the team that's surrounding him. What do they have a wide receiver? What do they have a running back? What, what, what is gonna be around Brendan Armstrong? And it's always, I, I, when, when someone goes up and down and up and down like that in their career, I it's like, hey, I need to see it to believe it first, but like I think, I think that is fair to say that State doesn't really have a whole lot of expectations on them this year. And I, so with that in mind, I think it would be very easy for State to go above and beyond their expectations if they can produce uh a consistent solid offense. I wanna ask you from Luis Fernandez, the North Carolina Tar Heels fan perspective, which, which team between Duke and NC State causes you more cause for concern from a fan standpoint, Lewis. Um I would say this is tough at this and when I say cause for concern that like, hey, they're gonna beat your Carolina Tar Heels. Let me be clear at this point in time. Um I think, I think just from a, from a UN C perspective, I think you go with State just because of, you know, the history that UN C and State football have and you know, and I, I do think that the, the unknown of Brendan Armstrong and Rob and I, and that, that, you know, Virginia success translating at NC State that is intriguing to me um whenever you have a team that's willing to adapt and evolve and I, I think that's what we are seeing with Dave Doran and the Wolf back is that they are willing to adapt and evolve and say, hey, we can't, we can't just win by playing good defense, maybe getting a safety, get a couple of field goals and, you know, punt the ball. Well, like the, that, that evolution is always a little bit scary because you don't know what you're gonna get. Um, I don't know, I, I just, this, this might be a little bit just kind of recency bias, but I genuinely feel like we could see the best overall football in the triangle that we have seen in quite some time, like, I think overall. Definitely, definitely. And, and really the to answer that question, Lewis, I hate to say like, oh, well, we'll find out how Duke Place Clemson in that week one matchup is gonna be very, very telling. That's a measuring stick game for me. Whereas you mentioned the talent discrepancy. How do you play? Can you cover the spread? Where right now we think it's about two touchdowns. And again, I'm telling you right now that line is going to move because the game's on September the fourth, which is that the Sunday or the Monday? It's Monday. It's people, people are gonna be recouping their losses and I promise you that line is going to move. Look at UN C in South Carolina that weekend as well. So that's another great measure. Game day baby. If, if UN C does not want to fall into the constant pattern of what UN C football is where it's like this. Oh, expectations. Oh, they don't deliver. Oh expectations. Oh, they don't deliver. Beating South Carolina would be a great place to start with reversing those kind of expectations.