Although not terribly surprising, North Carolina fell five spots in the latest AP Poll Sunday, winding up at the No. 24 spot.
The Heels scrapped together a 12-10 win over unranked UConn Saturday and deserved to fall a few places in the rankings — but not that far.
The offense, which struggled to score until the fourth quarter, was without three starters — Bobby Rome, who tested positive for the H1N1 virus, and offensive linemen Lowell Dyer and Jonathan Cooper, who both missed the game due to injuries.
There’s no question the defense deserves a top-25 ranking, but did UConn expose a weak offense?
UNC’s struggles in the running game could easily be attributed to these injuries, but UConn ranked sixth in total defense in 2008 and would make most top-25 offenses look ordinary.
Still, Carolina running back Shaun Draughn will have more critics if he doens’t produce against ECU Sept. 19.
Three other ACC teams made the poll — Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Miami. Miami and Georgia Tech play Thursday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.
