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While the ACC is mostly known for basketball, Duke football head coach Manny Diaz is hoping he and North Carolina football head coach Bill Belichick can reignite the rivalry.
Although both men respect one another, elite competition is missed in ACC football. After Belichick took the North Carolina job, it was a full-circle moment for Diaz.
He explained more on the College Football Gameday Podcast.
“The guy that was there this past year won a lot of games too, and I had worked for him too,” Diaz said. “So, the expectation is that the game should always be amazing. Our belief here is it’s always going to come down to the last play. So we’ll be excited, but Coach Belichick has always been great to me.
“I’d always go and visit him up in New England. (And) even had me speak to the team the last time there, so I got to see him for the first time in Amelia, and it was good to catch up with him. Like I said, let’s get ACC Football back rolling again.”
Duke football had a solid season, going 9-4 and making it to the Gator Bowl. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels went 7-6 under Mack Brown before he was subsequently fired.
Duke football HC Manny Diaz sees Bill Belichick reigniting rivalry
The two men have nothing against each other, but the schools certainly do. For instance, both Duke and UNC can't stand each other in basketball. It's one of the most volatile rivalries anywhere in sports.
However, the football programs don't have that same competitive fire. Under Diaz, though, Duke football has been brought back to relevancy.
Although Brown was extremely consistent with North Carolina, there was never any major eye-popping games or seasons. It'll be tough for Belichick to make immediate noise.
Still, Diaz believes that at this point, anything will be necessary to bring ACC football back to the map.
“Whatever gets more people watching and anything that’s good for ACC Football is good for all of us in the ACC,” Diaz said. “That was a big win for us a year ago.
“We got a really, really, neat feature to our football facility down there, and that’s what makes college football amazing.”
It's evident that Diaz sees the future trending in a positive direction. If Belichick can turn around UNC in a fraction of a second, than the universities might have another rivalry backed into both campuses.
