The Herald-Sun’s Frank Dascenzo is doing a happy dance over John Bunting’s contract extension at Carolina. Which is fine – I certainly have nothing bad to say about Bunting. But Dascenzo needs to remove his blue-tinted glasses for just a second when talking about UNC’s success relative to the rest of the Big 4, especially Wake.

Look at the Big Four today, and it’d be impossible not to choose Bunting as the guy doing the best job.

UNC has won six of its last 11 games, two of them over N.C. State. No, that doesn’t get you into the BCS rankings, but when you consider the rest of the programs in North Carolina, it’s understandable why Bunting is gaining well-earned respect.
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Wake Forest (3-5, 2-3 ACC) has the media’s respect as a team well-coached by Jim Grobe, but the Deacons have won only three of their last 11. Results of Wake games seldom change, although they did last Saturday when the Wolfpack invaded Winston-Salem.

The truth is, Wake loses almost as often as Duke and N.C. State.

Okay, this is one of those cases where the facts don’t necessarily tell the truth. You don’t measure the UNC program’s success compared to Wake’s simply by counting wins – you have to evaluate the context. UNC is a massive state institution with all kinds of resources, and Wake is the smallest school in 1-A, with no history, no tradition, and football resources that are probably worse than a number of 1-AA programs. (Jesus, ever hear a song called “Deacon Blues” by Steely Dan? Ever listen to the words? You know what it’s about, right?)

You assume that guy A is faster than guy B when they run a 100-yard dash and guy A gets to the line first – if they started at the same spot. But if guy A had a 75-yard head start and it was a close finish, you have to be blind or stupid to make too much of it.

If Grobe’s results are even in the same ballpark as Bunting’s, it means that Grobe is probably the better coach. Does that mean Wake will beat Carolina? No. Am I saying Bunting doesn’t deserve an extension? No, not at all. Am I saying that Wake has a better program than UNC? If you think I’m saying that, go back and re-read, because I’m saying the exact opposite. Carolina has a much better program in almost every way, and yet Wake Forest manages to be more competitive than they have any right to be.

All I’m asking for is a little perspective from our hyperventilating sports writers. That’s all. Deep breaths. That’s it….

[THX: Steve at the Mount’neer Desk.]