Ahead of Saturday afternoon's ACC clash between North Carolina and Clemson, the ESPN College GameDay crew made their predictions for this intriguing matchup.
If you would've asked Tar Heel fans a few weeks ago, they probably wouldn't have believed how the predictions played out.
Majority of the ESPN College GameDay crew sides with UNC
Of the five people picking, including Morgan Freeman, the majority believe that North Carolina will prevail in this one, even without star defensive lineman Melkart Abou Jaoude.
Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Freeman and Kirk Herbstreit all predicted that UNC will win the football game. The only analyst who selected Clemson was legendary head coach Nick Saban, who said that he believes Clemson will be better than they have been over the first two weeks of the 2026 season and will pick up a huge win on Saturday afternoon.
Of course, the ESPN GameDay crew cited key reasons for backing the Tar Heels. From solid quarterback play to elite effort on the defensive side of the football, the majority of the crew believes that UNC can win at Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2001.
Now, is the crew hopeful UNC wins, given that there is belief that a Tar Heels' victory would secure the ESPN College GameDay crew visiting Chapel Hill on October 3 for the Notre Dame matchup?
Honestly, that's what we're all hoping for!
It's good to see confidence in the Tar Heels for sure. At the beginning of the season, no one would've projected that UNC would be seen by many as the "favorite" in this game, especially given how Clemson has dominated the head-to-head in recent memory. However, 2026 is a new year, and UNC is aiming to start the season with a 3-0 record, proving to all that the off-the-field situations in Chapel Hill aren't distracting this group of men from getting the job done.
Now, it's time to prove the majority right and go win the daggum football game!
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