I was more at peace at 30-10 than with the way it ended. Now you have questions about "what might have been."
My only defensive comment is about Musberger. Fine going after Austin, etc., but at one point a freshmen defense back made a play, and Musberger said the player had a chance to be good if he did the rights things, etc., and "keeps himself eligible." I know everything that happens/is said is the fault of the coaching staff and players involved, but since this was a true freshmen, thought the comment was a little uncalled for.
I don't know what happens with Butch. If it's worst case with probation, bowl ban(s) and scholarship reduction, then there's little doubt what happens — he becomes a decently paid NFL assistant and skates while the university pays the penalties. If this ends up with 2-3 players out due to agents and 4-6 players with academic violations — and there are no long-term team penalties imposed — he may stay. The image is tarnished regardless, so if the true damage is minimal and he keeps the recruiting class intact, he may stay.
And just a nitpick, but due to the state of the newspaper industry, the N&O and the Observer effectively became one sports section a few years ago. If you want to see which way the old media winds are blowing, you need to also look at what Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Greenville, Fayetteville, Wilmington, etc., are saying. (Though we all know that the entire media industry, especially in North Carolina and Bristol, Conn., is a UNC cabal.)