Best / Worst Case Record for :
Louisville | Virginia | Miami | Duke | Georgia Tech | Boston College | Pittsburgh |Florida State | Virginia Tech | NC State | Syracuse | Wake Forest
North Carolina
2021 was supposed to be the year for North Carolina. Sam Howell was back at QB, and you entered the season in the top 15. It took one game for the season to start falling apart. A listless effort in an opening loss to Virginia Tech sent the season spiraling into a mess of a 6-7 record. This year the Heels enter the year without near the expectations of last year. Mack Brown is entering his 4th year in Chapel Hill, and there are whispers wondering if he can get the Tar Heels over the top. They have one of the best players in the ACC in WR Josh Downs, but there is no Sam Howell to throw it to him.
Will Go 8-4 (5-3) if:
Drake Maye is a revelation at quarterback. Maye was recently named the starting QB for the Tar Heels. We’ve seen young QBs mature quickly and have great seasons. RS Freshman Maye has a great weapon to work with in Josh Downs. An opening game against Florida A&M should allow Maye to ease into things. Then games at Appalachian State and at Georgia State are winnable before Notre Dame. They lost starting RB British Brooks in the off-season, so they’ll need someone to step up in the running game. Can new DC Gene Chizik fix a defense that was basically a mess last year? Any improvement there will help. The schedule isn’t bad. There isn’t a game North Carolina shouldn’t feel like they can’t win.
Will Go 5-7 (3-5) if:
The defense is anywhere as bad as it was last year. It was 105th in scoring defense last season, and there is no Sam Howell to bail them out like he could at times last year. There isn’t much experience at QB, and an early loss to Appalachian State could be a warning sign the season could be in trouble. The games with Notre Dame, at Miami, Pittsburgh, at Virginia, at Wake Forest, and NC State could all be losses. Even a game at Georgia Tech is not a lock, as the Heels got thumped by a bad Jackets team last year. There are tons of question marks on North Carolina’s team, and it could result in another losing season.
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