Tar Heel Blog Staff Predictions - Week 7

It is not like any of us actually wanted the North Carolina Tar Heels to lose. All the ingredients were there for a tough December nonconference loss. If we had to pick against the Heels, it had to be against a ranked team in a true road game. Right?

One writer would not have any of it. Where did Jay’s emotional response to the naysayers come from? Perhaps his hate of orange came from Tyler Bray giving Carolina the double throat slash during the 2010 Music City Bowl. How did that turn out, Tyler?

Or maybe Jay’s disdain of the land over the hills comes from the fact that North Carolina gave away the land that became the state of Tennessee back in the 1790s. I promise this is not an old joke.

No matter the reason, Jay called the doubters out, then went on to have a spectacular week. He was the only staff member to pick Indiana over Notre Dame, and one of three to pick Oklahoma State over Florida State. Another big pick was Jake choosing UNCG over UNC-R. What a time to be alive.

With that big week, Jay leapfrogged the competition and now stands alone at the top of the standings with a 22-6 record. He is a game ahead of Alan, Chad, Christian, Matt, and Tanya.

Take a look at the picks this week:

Not the most exciting slate of games prior to Christmas, but a couple in-state rivalries and Carolina’s participation in the CBS Sports Classic highlight the action this week in the ACC.

The most surprising pick of the week comes from Jay. Rather than picking against the Tar Heels in a true road game against a ranked P5 school, Jay doubts UNC in a home game against the 7-4 Terriers. If he gets this one right, we may have a new nickname for him. You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em...

The staff is unanimous in picking UNC over Ohio State, along with Miami over Hawaii.

In the cross-conference rivalry games, Al and Akil are taking South Carolina over Clemson in Littlejohn, while Chad is the only one that believes in the Yellow Jackets in Athens.

Douglas is the lone taker of the Bonnies in the Carrier Dome, Brandon and I are betting on Towson against Pitt, and Alan and Roger are looking for the Deacs to steal one from Tennessee.

Which teams are you picking for this week? Can the Tar Heels keep their winning streak alive? Let us know in the comments below.