By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

You’ll have to excuse North Carolina football fans if they’re simultaneously over-zealous, yet skeptical, about any decent football coach their school gets.

You see, after witnessing arguably the most successful ten year period in their program’s history during the Mack Brown era, they still vividly remember losing him to Texas after back to back 10 win seasons. It’s embedded in their psyche, really.

After the coaching carousel they went through after Brown’s departure- Carl Torbush (the Matt Doherty of Carolina football coaches); John Bunting (nice guy, bad coach); Butch Davis (NCAA investigation ring a bell)- you can understand their trepidation when it comes to current head coach, Larry Fedora.

Don’t get me wrong, they love them some Fedora. It’s just hard on them when his name seems to pop up for almost every available head coaching position that opens up.

If he were to actually leave you would see a sudden increase in sales of Jack Daniels and Charley Pride albums across the state.

Fedora has done a great job of steering the ship, so to speak, through difficult times and restoring the credibility of the Tar Heels program, since arriving in 2012.

But, like in most professions, past accomplishments will only get you so far. Entering this season the expectations have been tempered a little bit, mainly because of their quarterback situation.

Originally, the plan was for a more experienced Mitchell Trubisky to be under center. Instead, it looks like the Heels will have to go with former LSU quarterback Brandon Harris, the one player Buddy Stephens would look at and say, “Eh, I think I’ll pass.”

Defense, which has not exactly been UNC’s strength since Fedora arrived, will be relied on much more heavily than in year’s past. The offense could get there, but I wouldn’t expect it until later on in the season.

As great of a job as Fedora has done, there are two outcomes I’m particularly interested in seeing play out. The first has to do with bowl games. In the five years Fedora has been the head coach, UNC has made it to four bowl games. (They were eligible his first year, but were banned from participating). Out of those four appearances, the Tar Heels won their first, but have dropped the last three. If they were to lose again this year, when does being happy just to make a bowl game cut it?

The second is their rivalry game against Duke. In the 23 years prior to Fedora, UNC lost to their rivals a grand total of one time. Over the last five years Duke has won three. Part of that reasoning is the fact the Blue Devils have a pretty damn good coach of their own in David Cutcliffe.

The only issue is if part of your argument has to do with how good the other coach is, how much of an indictment is that on your own coach? There have been plenty of successful coaches who lost their jobs because they couldn’t consistently beat their rivals.

I’m not saying Fedora falls under that category, or that Carolina would part ways based solely on that, but losing 4 of 6 would be tough to take.

At this moment, Larry Fedora and UNC are a great fit for each other. Fedora is a good coach not looking to leave and Carolina will give him every opportunity to continue to succeed.

Of course, if you ask any Carolina fan, it all depends on who is on the other end of that next phone call.