UNC Football: Tar Heels rise in latest AP Poll Rankings

The UNC Football program started the 2023 season ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll. Where are they ranked after their win over South Carolina?

The UNC football program began the season ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press (AP) poll released on Monday, August 14th. The biggest reason for the Tar Heels being ranked in the initial top-25 rankings was the play of returning ACC player of the year and pre-season ACC player of the year, Drake Maye.

For most of the preseason, it was really the only reason anyone in the media has given for the Tar Heels to be ranked after losing two of their top offensive weapons from 2022 (Josh Downs and Antoine Green) and returning a defense that was near the bottom of the country in almost every major category.

After Saturday night’s 31-17 win in which the defense shined over South Carolina, the media released their new Top 25 for Week Two, and the Tar Heels found themselves on the rise in the most recent AP Poll.

The No. 17-ranked Tar Heels will welcome in-state opponent Appalachian State to Kenan Stadium this week for their home opener in the final game of a three-game series with the Mountaineers that began in 2019. Can the UNC football defense continue to build off of the momentum they gained in week one against the Gamecocks? Can the offense clean up some mistakes from week one and progress?

We saw the UNC football program get better in week one compared to their finish in 2022. Now the next challenge they have is getting better after being praised. That will be the challenge when Appalachian State comes to town. Kickoff against the Mountaineers is set for 5:15 PM in Kenan Stadium on the ACC Network.

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