UNC football reacts to No. 17 ranking

North Carolina defensive coordinator Gene Chizik doesn’t know where his team is ranked.

Senior Shakeel Rashad is unsure how the rankings are conducted.

Even Coach Larry Fedora turned a blind eye to his team’s standing.

“My wife told me when I got in bed (Tuesday) night,” he said. “I was like, great.”

But with three weeks left in the season, the numbers are hard to ignore. In the midst of a nine-game winning streak, the Tar Heels (9-1) checked in at No. 17 in the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings.

But is UNC the 17th-best team in the country?

“I have no idea,” Rashad said. “We’ll let the experts figure that one out.”

After unveiling the selections Tuesday night, CFB committee chair Jeff Long explained how the Tar Heels’ two wins over Football Championship Subdivision teams and a season-opening loss to South Carolina has tethered UNC to the bottom half of the rankings.

But after dropping to the Gamecocks (3-7) in early September, the Tar Heels have rolled through their ACC slate — including against opponents common to the committee’s top teams.

“I think we should be a little bit higher, especially with all the comparisons you see across the board,” junior Des Lawrence said. “But it’s not me on the committee. They see something we don’t.”

In its four games common with No. 4 Notre Dame (9-1) — Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia and Pittsburgh — UNC’s results have fared favorably to those of the Fighting Irish.

And in their two shared matchups with No. 5 Iowa (10-0) — against Illinois and Pittsburgh — the Tar Heels bested the Hawkeyes’ efforts in each contest.

Yet North Carolina remains on the outside looking in, falling behind five two-loss teams and Group of Five foe Navy (9-1) in the rankings.

“We feel disrespected every week …” Lawrence said. “Everybody is just waiting for us to lose, so they can say, ‘Oh, there it is, there’s the old Carolina.’”

But UNC is piling up the blowout victories — setting a school record with 125 points in its previous two contests — and boasts a nine-game winning streak for the first time since 1914.

And in just over two weeks’ time, a potential ACC Championship showdown with No. 1 Clemson awaits. With a win, the Tar Heels could vault in the standings — with an outside chance at securing a berth in the semifinals.

“We’ll see Dec. 6. We want our highest ranking to be then …” redshirt senior linebacker Jeff Schoettmer said.

“If we keep winning and handling our business, they can’t ignore us.”

@CJacksonCowart

sports@dailytarheel.com