Saturday may not be the first meeting of ranked North Carolina and Duke teams since 1939, but the essential football calculus of the game did not change when Duke lost to Miami last weekend.
It’s still UNC-Duke.
It’s still the Victory Bell.
It’s still all but certain to determine the Coastal Division champion.
It’s still the biggest football game played in the Triangle this season.
That’s still a lot to pile into one afternoon whether a replay official does his job or not, whether both teams are ranked or not.
“I think Duke will be highly motivated to play North Carolina no matter what,” North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said Wednesday.