Sports Illustrated is really aggressive at sending out press releases for their Carolina-related stories, which is why I currently have a PDF in my inbox of the page of their football preview issue devoted to the Heels. Of course, I have no idea what to do with this bit of information – there's nothing for me to link to, point at, or otherwise share blogwise, except the fact that UNC is indeed, 13th in their preseason rankings, and that the magazine is very impressed by Robert Quinn, who they predict to be ACC Defensive Player of the Year. So if you're fans of Robert Quinn or the number 13, be sure to pick that up when it hits the stands, I guess. Wish I could tell you more, but the only other page they sent was the ACC recap page, which predicts Virginia Tech to beat FSU in the championship game.
13th is higher than the preseason coaches poll slot of 18th, which in turn is the highest preseason ranking for the Heels since 1998. Again, it's very similar to last year, where the ACC gets a lot of teams in the Top 25 because no one has any real idea how the conference will shake out, outside the rock-solid belief that Virginia Tech will be BCS bowl bound. Things will be a lot clearer once teams take the field.