Let's get one thing out of the way immediately: UNC isn't projected to win this football game.
The Tar Heels welcome No. 1 Miami to Kenan Stadium on Halloween night as significant underdogs against a Hurricanes team that has looked every bit like the best team in the country.
Miami enters Chapel Hill undefeated, averaging 49.0 points and 551.9 yards of total offense per game. The Hurricanes have scored at least 40 points in six of their seven games and are coming off a 52-23 beatdown of Pitt.
Meanwhile, UNC is coming off a brutal overtime loss to Syracuse after leading by 10 points entering the fourth quarter.
On paper, this doesn't exactly scream upset.
Fortunately, football games aren't played on paper.
The Tar Heels have won five consecutive meetings against Miami and haven't lost to the Hurricanes at Kenan Stadium since 2017.
If the Tar Heels are going to extend that streak and pull off the biggest upset in program history, here's what they need to do.
Make Darian Mensah uncomfortable
Good luck with this tall task!
Mensah has been ridiculous this season, completing over 80 percent of his passes and throwing 22 touchdowns while throwing just one interception.
Giving him time to sit comfortably in the pocket is essentially asking to get torched.
That's where Xavier Lewis and North Carolina's defensive front come in.
Lewis has emerged as one of the country's premier defensive linemen, recording seven sacks through the Tar Heels' first seven games. UNC doesn't necessarily need to sack Mensah five or six times, but they do need to rush his progressions.
Force him off his spot. Make him speed up his internal clock. Get hands in passing lanes. Find some way to prevent Miami's offense from operating comfortably.
Because if Mensah gets comfortable?
It could be a very long night.
Turn red-zone trips into touchdowns
This might be the biggest one.
UNC needs to turn red-zone trips into seven points. No ifs, ands or buts.
The Tar Heels have moved the football effectively at times this season, but Bill Belichick acknowledged this week that his offense has left points on the field after driving deep into opposing territory.
That can't happen Saturday night.
Miami averages nearly 50 points per game.
If UNC drives into Miami territory and comes away with three points instead of seven, those four missing points could be the difference between keeping things interesting and watching Miami pull away.
Billy Edwards and the Tar Heel offense don't need to score 50.
But when opportunities present themselves, they need touchdowns.
Keep Miami's offense standing on the sideline
The easiest way to stop one of the best offenses in college football?
Play keep away.
UNC needs to make this game ugly to have a chance, and no, we don't mean making this an offensive slugfest.
If that happens, UNC stands no chance.
What UNC needs to do is run the ball and sustain drives. Drain the clock, convert in third down situations and, most importantly, don't come up completely empty on long drives.
Every minute Mensah and Miami's explosive offense spend watching from the sideline is a win for the Tar Heels. Shortening the game reduces the number of possessions Miami has to flex its offensive firepower.
UNC doesn't want a track meet, it needs a rock fight.
Get this game into the fourth quarter with Kenan Stadium rocking, and the pressure suddenly shifts toward the undefeated No. 1 team trying to escape Chapel Hill.
Is all of this easier said than done?
Absolutely. Miami is the No. 1-ranked team in the country for a reason.
However, we've seen UNC come painfully close to pulling off an upset like this before.
The last time the nation's No. 1 team came to Kenan Stadium, North Carolina pushed Clemson to the brink before falling 21-20 after a failed two-point conversion in the final minutes.
Seven years later, the Tar Heels get another opportunity.
This time, maybe UNC makes Halloween night in Chapel Hill really spooky by pulling off an upset most people don't think they can.
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