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UNC Football: Tar Heels in jeopardy of missing a bowl this season

By Zack Pearson

CHAPEL HILL, NC - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Larry Fedora of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches during their game against the California Golden Bears at Kenan Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Cal won 35-30. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Larry Fedora of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches during their game against the California Golden Bears at Kenan Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Cal won 35-30. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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It hasn’t been the start the North Carolina Tar Heels envisioned and now they are in danger of missing out on a bowl game

The North Carolina Tar Heels have put themselves in a tough spot to start the 2017 college football season.

They have opened the year 0-2 with both losses coming at home.

The season opener is the toughest one, seeing that they just couldn’t put away a Cal team that traveled across the country for an early start time. It was a game the Tar Heels led in and were on the verge of extending their lead before a dumb penalty.

Last week the Tar Heels gave up a record number of yards at Kenan Memorial Stadium to a very good Louisville team. That was a game that many expected UNC to lose but to enter at 1-0 rather than 0-1.

Now with the two losses, UNC’s bowl game chances took a big hit.

A team needs at least six wins to be bowl eligible. With all of the conference tie-ins, it gets a little confusing. Teams with seven wins are more likely to be selected over a team with let’s say a 6-6 record on the year.

Looking ahead, UNC has 10 games remaining on the season including three non-conference games. Two of those are at Old Dominion and home against Western Carolina.

The other one is a home date with a Notre Dame team that is currently 1-1 on the year with a close loss to Georgia.

The Tar Heels can certainly help their chances this week by beating Old Dominion on the road and the Western Carolina game should be a win.

Then you look at their conference schedule.

UNC got its toughest conference game out of the way early when they lost to Louisville but that doesn’t mean it will be easy from here on out.

Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami, Pittsburgh and NC State will all be tough games for the Tar Heels. Outside of the NC State game, the Tar Heels likely won’t be favorites in any of those contests.

There’s also a home game against Virginia at the end of October.

They do get Duke on the road but quarterback Daniel Jones has been on a tear this season and with UNC’s defense struggling, it could be another long day.

Say UNC beats Old Dominion and Western Carolina, they will still need at least four wins to have a shot at a bowl game.

With seven conference games left UNC would have to go 4-3 at a minimum. Then there’s the Notre Dame game. If UNC does go 4-3 in their remaining conference games, they would have to beat the Fighting Irish at home.

The toughest stretch of the season starts on October 21 when the Tar Heels travel to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech. Following that game, they return home to take on Miami and then back on the road to take on Pitt.

That’s three tough conference games in a row. Right now it’s looking like a 0-3 stretch but if UNC can somehow pull off a win against one of those teams, it will certainly boost their chances.

Next: 3 key stats from UNC's loss to Louisville

Right now, it’s looking like it will be a season-long struggle for the Tar Heels. But hopefully, things can change in a hurry.

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