ACC edges Big Ten in college football season’s first of endless lessons in conference strength (2024)

MINNEAPOLIS — Fireworks surprisingly littered the sky over Huntington Bank Stadium mere moments after Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich missed a 47-yard field goal on the game’s final play.

Kesich’s second miss of the night handed North Carolina a 19-17 win in the season’s first game between two opponents from different power conferences. Perhaps the fireworks served as a participation ribbon for both teams willing to compete against a school of similar prominence in Week 1. If anyone should celebrate late Thursday night — outside of the Tar Heels — it should be ACC commissioner Jim Phillips.

Both teams have bigger games against bitter rivals and better opponents over the next three months. But when the war of public opinion surges during the final two weeks of the season with more College Football Playoff at-large bids than ever on the line, North Carolina’s victory against Minnesota will come up a handful of times. And you can bet there will be fierce public debate over the final few spots in the new 12-team field.

Say North Carolina (1-0) finishes 7-5 and Minnesota (0-1) ends its season at 5-7. This result by the slimmest of margins could inch forward Florida State, which plays the Tar Heels on Nov. 2. Conversely, Minnesota’s loss could provide a demerit for Big Ten CFP hopefuls Michigan, Iowa and Penn State, all of which face the Gophers this year.

Yes, one kick nudged right of the goal post between two mid-tier teams in power conferences has the potential to impact the 12-team CFP. Welcome to college football’s new world.

North Carolina coach Mack Brown didn’t gaze long into the big picture and instead focused on what the Tar Heels overcame to beat the Gophers. The game was delayed by an hour because of lightning throughout the Twin Cities. North Carolina quarterback Max Johnson suffered a serious right leg injury in the third quarter that led to him being carted off and taken to a local hospital. That North Carolina overcame that adversity on the road was a testament to the team’s resilience, Brown said.

“We’ve talked to the guys about sudden change in their lives and just handling whatever’s thrown at them,” Brown said. “We weren’t sure we’d get to loosen up when we got here, and all that happened. And then we played great defense the first half and throughout the game, probably as good as we’ve played since we’ve been here. Tough defense, especially against the run. Our kicking game was probably the best we’ve had. We’ve made every field goal.”

Minnesota appeared to hold a slight kicking edge entering the game with Kesich, the reigning Big Ten kicker of the year. But in the first quarter, he missed a 27-yard attempt when the ball caromed off the right upright. Then in the game’s final two minutes, Minnesota took the ball from its 25-yard line to the North Carolina 29. The Gophers strategically lined up in the middle of the field with four seconds left, but Kesich pushed the ball to the right.

Conversely, North Carolina’s Noah Burnette showed why he was worthy of second-team All-ACC honors last season. Burnette withstood a barrage of taunts from Minnesota’s fan base on the sideline and nailed all four of his field goal attempts, including a career-long 52-yarder with 19 seconds left before halftime. In the fourth quarter, he connected twice from beyond 40 yards, including the 45-yard game-winner with 1:44 left.

“They were in my ear on that last one,” Burnette said of Minnesota’s fans. When asked if he responded, Burnette smiled and said, “No comment.”

Brown was magnanimous in his praise for both teams and seemed sincere when he felt pain for the Gophers in falling short in that fashion.

“It’s all about winning,” Brown said. “They played as hard as they could. I really admire (Minnesota coach) P.J. Fleck. I hate this for his team. They didn’t win. I really hate for the young guy. I love that our young guy kicked the field goal through. I hate their guy missed it. That’s tough for him, and it’s good for us. But I told P.J. after the game, this is what college football should be about. A bunch of great kids that played as hard as they could, played for three and a half hours, and it comes down to the last kick.”

Both teams struggled on offense, neither topping 260 total yards. Both committed turnovers that turned into points. Minnesota was missing injured running back Darius Taylor, while North Carolina All-American candidate Omarion Hampton rushed for 129 yards on 30 carries. For a while the matchup fit the stereotype of Big Ten bullyball vs. almost-SEC speed. But the result came down to toughness, precision and luck.

“This was supposed to be an even game,” Brown said. “It was even, and our guys found a way to win.”

In a sport in which sweeping generalizations are as commonplace as they are disposable, the knee-jerk theme from this result is the ACC proving that it’s on the Big Ten’s level and deserves more respect. Perhaps that’s true for individual teams, but college football’s overhauled postseason makes it no less difficult to lump conferences together based on one missed kick. The same would have been true had Kesich drilled his final kick.

Regardless, this outcome will provide Phillips with a Gopher pelt on the ACC’s wall when the commissioners begin to make cases for individual teams later this fall. That’s when the real fireworks will start going off — figuratively, of course.

(Photo: Matt Krohn / USA Today)

Scott Dochterman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Iowa Hawkeyes. He previously covered Iowa athletics for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Land of 10. Scott also worked as an adjunct professor teaching sports journalism at the University of Iowa.