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The North Carolina Tar Heels have earned their first Associated Press poll ranking since Oct. 28, 2001 as a result of Saturday's 38-12 win over previously unbeaten and 24th-rated Connecticut. Carolina cracked the survey, released this afternoon, in the 22nd spot and ended 112-week drought in the process.

The citation comes at an interesting time. UNC, which hasn't won a game while ranked since Jan. 1, 1998, hosts Notre Dame, also 4-1, this Saturday. For the first time in the 63-year history of the AP poll, an Irish team is unranked after winning at least four of its first five games.

While coaches are loath to discuss such seemingly trivial matters in the middle of a season, the appearance in the ratings has to qualify as good news for Carolina, which is off to its best start since the 1997 team stood 8-0. Among the 66 programs in the current Bowl Championship Series structure, only five had longer active streaks of AP futility than UNC: Baylor (now 256 weeks), Indiana (238), Duke (227), Arizona (130) and Mississippi State (118).

As for the Heels, the 112-poll stretch represented their longest absence from the AP survey since they went the entire 1960s without making it.

Wake Forest advanced four spots while having the week off. The Demon Deacons, upset by Navy on Sept. 27, improved from 25th to 21st entering Thursday's ACC Atlantic Division meeting with Clemson and have now appeared in seven straight weeks. The school record of nine was established two years ago.

No. 18 Virginia Tech (5-1) is the ACC's standard-bearer.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com