Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Football: Tar Heels’ early season game ranked among best

By Zack Pearson

ANNAPOLIS, MD - DECEMBER 27: Head Coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches the game against the Temple Owls in the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on December 27, 2019 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
ANNAPOLIS, MD - DECEMBER 27: Head Coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches the game against the Temple Owls in the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on December 27, 2019 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Week 2 showdown between UNC and Auburn has been ranked among the best early season games by SportingNews.

It’s no secret that the national and local media are high on the North Carolina Tar Heels’ football program going into the 2020 season.

After a 7-6 season in which they won their first bowl game since 2013, Mack Brown has his team in a position to take that next step this year. The Tar Heels are being ranked in the preseason polls and have been projected as the favorites to win the Coastal Division in the Atlantic Coast Conference by a few different outlets.

Heck, even SportingNews made an early season bowl projection that the Tar Heels would land in the Orange Bowl. But while it seems like a lot of people are high on the Tar Heels, they will be tested early on.

UNC will open the season in Orlando in what should be a ranked matchup against UCF in Week 1, a game that could help the Tar Heels climb the rankings. But they can’t overlook the Knights with a pending matchup against a big SEC opponent in Auburn.

In Week 2, the Tar Heels and Tigers will meet in Atlanta for the Chick Fil A kickoff in what could be another ranked meeting. As we sit here just a few months from the start of the season, SportingNews has listed that game among their top early season games for 2020.

Here is what SportingNews said about the matchup:

"This is the third part of a tripleheader in Atlanta, and one that will feature two of the best young quarterbacks in the country in UNC’s Sam Howell and Auburn’s Bo Nix. For Mack Brown, this is an opportunity to show Carolina — an offseason darling-in-waiting — is for real. It’s the first of several big games for Auburn and coach Gus Malzahn."

The game checked in at No. 3 behind only Ohio State at Oregon and Texas at LSU. All three of those games will be played on September 12th, which could be a huge day for college football in Week 2.

It’s safe to say the Tar Heels have big chance to make some more national noise with their first two games.

Next. Drake Maye selected to UA All-American Game. dark

For more on the UNC Football program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.

Home/UNC Football