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UNC Football: Tar Heels earn Orange Bowl bid

By Zack Pearson

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 26: Teammates Jordan Tucker #74 and Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate after defeating the Duke Blue Devils 20-17 at Kenan Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 26: Teammates Jordan Tucker #74 and Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate after defeating the Duke Blue Devils 20-17 at Kenan Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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The UNC Football program is headed back to Miami as the Tar Heels have officially earned a bid to the Orange Bowl

In Mack Brown’s second season in his second still with the UNC Football program, the head coach has officially taken the team to a New Year’s Six Bowl.

On Sunday, the College Football Playoff Committee released their updated rankings after championship weekend and with the Top 4, the Tar Heels are officially heading to Miami for the Orange Bowl. UNC came in ranked as the third-highest ranked Atlantic Coast Conference team.

But with both Clemson (No. 2) and Notre Dame (No. 4) making them the next highest ACC team not in the playoff, slotting them in the Orange Bowl.

UNC will square off against Texas A&M in the New Year’s Six Bowl, as the Aggies came in at No. 5 and earn the SEC tie in. The matchup will pit Brown against former Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher who had a big year with Texas A&M including a win over Florida.

The Tar Heels on the other hand have suffered three losses being upset at Florida State and at Virginia for their first two losses, and then lost to No. 2 Notre Dame in November. They rebounded to beat Miami on the road last weekend, helping their cause.

In a weird year with a conference-only schedule, UNC took the next step in building the program and have now reached the Orange Bowl for the first time ever. This will be their biggest bowl game in decades and they have the chance to prove that they have officially arrived on the national stage.

The 2021 Orange Bowl will take place on January 2nd at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida and will be broadcasted live on ESPN at 8 p.m. Traditionally, the game has had over 60,000 in attendance but will likely be played under a capacity limit.

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

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