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UNC Football vs. Syracuse: Game info, preview, prediction and more

By Zack Pearson

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 31: Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drops back to pass against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the Belk College Kickoff game at Bank of America Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 31: Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drops back to pass against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the Belk College Kickoff game at Bank of America Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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The UNC football team begins the 2020 season by hosting Syracuse on Saturday. We have our game preview and prediction.

Finally. The 2020 UNC Football season is officially here on Saturday with the Atlantic Coast Conference kicking off games.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will open up the 2020 season at home against Syracuse as they begin a year in which they enter with high expectations. Following their 7-6 season that was capped off with their first bowl win since 2013, this Tar Heels team will return the majority of their starters and hope to contend for an ACC title.

With the ACC switching to a format of conference-only schedule plus one non-conference game, the top two teams will meet in Charlotte for the conference championship. But the addition of Notre Dame for this year makes things very interesting.  The Tar Heels meet the Fighting Irish on Thanksgiving weekend a week before playing Miami. Both games could have a significant impact on who reaches the conference title game.

UNC will need to focus on just one game at a time and that starts on Saturday…

Coming into Chapel Hill on Saturday is Syracuse. The Orange are coming off a very disappointing 2019 season and are expected to finish near the bottom of the league in 2020.

Going into this game, the Tar Heels are heavy favorites even without the true home field advantage in play. But UNC shouldn’t take ‘Cuse lightly. It’s very easy to get caught up in the hype, especially in Week 1 when you are a double-digit favorite. The Tar Heels haven’t been in this position before and could easily make some mistakes and let Syracuse hang around which would be worst-case scenario.

There is also the other side of this.

If you truly are a team that not only wants to make some noise in the conference but in the entire country as well, then you have to come out and make a statement. This is the perfect chance for the Tar Heels to make that early statement and take care of an opponent you should beat. Then let the expectations come and start building on some wins.

With most of the starters back including quarterback Sam Howell and linebacker Chazz Surratt, UNC now has that experience needed to make some noise. The offense has playmakers all over it including receivers Dazz Newsome, Dyami Brown and Beau Corrales as well as running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter. They also have a stout defense led by Surratt, fellow linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel, defensive backs Trey Morrison, Storm Duck, Ja’Qurious Conley, Myles Wolfork and defensive linemen Tomari Fox, Desmond Evans, Tomon Fox and more.

This is a very talented UNC team that is ready to take that next step and it all begins on Saturday.

UNC key to victory

Set the tone and don’t let up. I mentioned it earlier in this piece but the Tar Heels can’t overlook Syracuse on Saturday and need to come out strong. You can’t let a team like Syracuse hang in there and give them hope, especially on the road. The longer that goes on, the longer they stay in the game.

If the Orange build up some momentum early on, it could be trouble for the Tar Heels. For UNC, they really need to get out and score early or make a statement on defense. That would set the tone early on and help UNC cruise to a victory.

Something to watch for UNC

We know about the talent on offense but I’m curious to see how the defense is early on. They did lose some big talent but are returning Surratt, Gemmel, both Fox brothers, and Duck among others. They are also welcoming in a Top 30 recruiting class featuring Evans and Conley on the defense.

It will be interesting to see the depth UNC has and who plays where going into this game. With Bryson Richardson transferring, UNC’s depth in the secondary took a bit of a hit. However, they are still very talented in that aspect of the depth chart and we could see a player like Conley get some early reps. Look for UNC’s defense to make a statement and play very well on Saturday.

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What you need to know

WHAT?  Syracuse Orange 0-0 vs North Carolina Tar Heels 0-0
WHEN? Saturday, September 12th, NOON est
WHERE? Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV? ACC Network
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
WEATHER? Cloudy, 79 degrees with 60 percent chance of thunderstorms
LINE? UNC -22
ALL-TIME SERIES? Syracuse leads 3-2
PREDICTION? UNC 34, Syracuse 13

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