Keeping It Heel
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UNC Football: Latest projections include Peach Bowl?

By Zack Pearson

ANNAPOLIS, MD - DECEMBER 27: Quarterback Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drops back to throw a pass in the first half 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 Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
ANNAPOLIS, MD - DECEMBER 27: Quarterback Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drops back to throw a pass in the first half 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 Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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After two years as head coach of the UNC Football program, Mack Brown has quickly turned things around in Chapel Hill from where they were prior to him being there.

The Tar Heels went from a team that won three combined games in 2017-19 to reaching the Orange Bowl in 2020. A big reason for that is how well Brown has been able to recruit and coach for the program.

After that Orange Bowl appearance last season, UNC enters this year with a lot of expectations and rightfully so. They return a lot of key pieces from last year’s team including quarterback Sam Howell who should be a Heisman favorite. The talent is there for the Tar Heels to get even better and they do welcome in a good recruiting class for the 2021 cycle as well.

But with Memorial Day Weekend ahead of us, where do the Tar Heels stand in terms of bowl projections? 247Sports updated their bowl projections for the upcoming season and they have the Tar Heels returning to a New Year’s Six bowl to take on a recent national champion in LSU in the Peach Bowl:

"One of these programs is getting substantially more love in the preseason than the other, but it feels like there’s more pressure on North Carolina to field one of the nation’s best teams than there is LSU, who is coming off an average campaign that followed the Tigers’ run to a national title. LSU’s major coaching staff changes should pay off for a team that’s talented with 20 starters back. North Carolina welcomes back one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Sam Howell. Two teams who could also be in play for this matchup from the ACC and SEC include Miami and Texas A&M."

UNC matched up against an SEC foe in the Orange Bowl, losing to Texas A&M but were without a lot of their key players on offense. Getting the chance to go up against another top SEC program would be nice for the program as they continue to make strides.

However, the ultimate goal is to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and play in the College Football Playoff.

Next. Where Mel Kiper Jr. has Sam Howell ranked. dark

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