Mack Brown jokes about difference between football coaches, weathermen

North Carolina will head to Miami this weekend for a key ACC Coastal matchup as one of three teams in the division yet to take a loss. Miami is also one of those three, yet to play a conference game, and the Hurricanes will have the luxury of playing at home where weather could be factor.

North Carolina coach Mack Brown joked with reporters after providing his weather outlook for the game.

“It’s going to be 83 degrees, but with the humidity it’s going to feel like 88,” Brown relayed. “And here we were, it was 48 this morning when we came out for practice. So our guys are going to have to handle the heat. We’re going to have to also substitute more than we would on a normal weekend.”

As Brown’s press conference paused momentarily to pivot to the next reporter on the Zoom call with a question, Brown interjected after a brief back-and-forth with Inside Carolina beat writer Adam Smith, who said he was taking notes on Brown’s weather report.

“I’m a weatherman. No, I’m not a weatherman,” Brown said, “Weathermen can be 33% right and keep their jobs. Coaches cannot.

“It doesn’t matter till you get down there and you’ve got a whole bunch of cramps and you weren’t prepared for it, then it matters. Then you’re asking me how why we had so many cramps. I’m trying to get you prepared.”

Could weather be a factor in Miami-North Carolina game?

Whether weather will be a significant factor in the Miami-North Carolina game remains to be seen.

Regardless, it’s a big game for both teams. Miami is coming off back-to-back non-conference losses to Texas A&M and Middle Tennessee State, and the Hurricanes just had a bye week to regroup under first-year coach Mario Cristobal.

As noted above, though, the ACC Coastal is still there for the taking for the ‘Canes. While Duke and North Carolina currently sit atop the division with 1-0 league marks, Miami has yet to play a conference game. So this weekend’s contest could provide an early favorite in the division race.

Of course, whoever emerges from the ACC Coastal will still have to deal with the Atlantic champion eventually. That division looks stronger, boasting No. 5 Clemson, No. 14 NC State, No. 15 Wake Forest and No. 22 Syracuse, as well as Florida State, which dropped out of the rankings this week following its first loss of the season, against Wake Forest.

But that’s getting way ahead. Brown’s just ready to deal with the weather, hoping he is lucky enough to field questions from Smith’s Inside Carolina reporter coworker Ross Martin.

“Let’s hope that after the game that’s what Ross is asking me about,” Brown said, grinning. “It’s been a good game if Ross says, ‘Boy it was hot.'”