Drake Maye knows UNC needs to keep winning for Top-25 ranking to mean something

North Carolina has emerged within the AP Poll after their sixth win of the season over Duke two weeks ago. As they return to the field this weekend against Pittsburgh, though, Drake Maye realizes it doesn’t matter a bit unless they win against the Panthers and beyond.

Maye discussed the Tar Heel’s thoughts on rankings during media earlier this week. Mack Brown has instilled a detached feeling towards rankings within his program and you can sense that within Maye’s response.

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“The big thing is you try not to get too high on our horses. This game of football is a game of up and downs within the game, within a season…Just try not to get too high,” said Maye. “Just try to stay humble and realize that being in the rankings really means nothing today if you don’t win this upcoming week. Maybe when you look at them after the last game in November? Then it can mean something.”

North Carolina’s last two seasons are proof enough to those in Chapel Hill that rankings don’t matter. They started last season at No. 10 in the preseason AP Poll but were booted fairly quickly after a 2-2 start with big losses to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. The script has flipped in 2022 as they’ve been unranked until now through a 6-1 start with their only loss coming against a solid Notre Dame team.

Until the end of the season, Maye, Brown, and the Tar Heels couldn’t care less about the polls. Their final standing, specifically in the College Football Playoff rankings, is all they’re concerning themselves with. That requires continued success over their final five games, which starts with a win they’ll try to get in Kenan Stadium this weekend.