Staff Picks for the UNC Football program's regular season finale against NC State
It's the final day of the regular season for the UNC football program, as our staff has tried our best to navigate through the ups and downs that the Tar Heels have presented.
While we've all had our own missed predictions, the good news is that the staff members who have been riding through the entire season all have a record over .500 (even if they get their prediction today wrong!)
I must say, I'm rather impressed with our staff (including JT who would be College Football Playoff eligible if our records mattered!).
So, last game of the regular season, the final game of the Mack Brown 2.0 era and the chance to ruin NC State's bowl game hopes all in one day? How does our staff feel about this one?
Nick Delahanty- Site Expert
This is a game that the UNC football program simply can not lose.
Mack Brown's final game, Senior Day, PLUS the chance to end NC State's season all in one day? If the troops can't get motivated for this one, I simply don't know what would motivate them.
I'm going to say that North Carolina will find a way to defeat little brother and end the regular season on a good note. Brown definitely deserves a proper sendoff, and what better way to do that than to ruin NC State's bowl game chances.
Prediction: North Carolina 31, NC State 28
Record: 7-4
Chase Maxwell- Contributor
After a disappointing 20-point loss to Boston College last week, I think the Tar Heels will bounce back for their regular-season finale. With J.J. Jones and Nate McCollum questionable to play, it might be tough for Criswell to find weapons through the air, but I think North Carolina has enough to get the job done against their in-state rivals.
Prediction: North Carolina 27, NC State 24
Record: 8-3
Michael McKay- Contributor
This year’s team has been more Jekyll and Hyde than I can remember for a long time. This indicates the possibility that UNC can bounce back, but the Boston College performance, coupled with the news of Mack Brown’s firing, has me more pessimistic than normal. NC State need this win to become bowl eligible, and Dave Doeren is the master of beating Carolina to mask an otherwise poor season.
Prediction: North Carolina 21, NC State 31
Record: 7-4
Luke Sugar- Contributor
This North Carolina football season, I’m thankful for the chance to knock off rival NC State and potentially make a bowl game.
The 6-5 Tar Heels came up short at Boston College last week, suffering a blowout loss. But I believe this group will look totally different on Saturday, fired up in front of their home fans in Chapel Hill.
Hopefully, the Tar Heels can stomp on the Wolf Pack and qualify for a respectable bowl game. North Carolina is favored on their home turf by 3.5 points, and I think UNC gets the job done. Give me the Tar Heels winning in their season finale and covering.
Prediction: North Carolina 27, NC State 21
Record: 7-4
JT Zangara- Contributor
For the final regular season game of the year the Tar Heels take on NC State. The Tar Heels had a disappointing loss vs Boston College last week and look to bounce back. After parting ways with coach Mack Brown it will be interesting to see how the team responds. The Tar Heels have lost three straight games to rival NC State but I expect a win this year. Criswell and Hampton need to provide a spark early in this game. If the offense can get started early on, it will be hard to slow them down. I believe North Carolina and NC State will play a very close game but the Tar Heels come out on top to finish the regular season 7-5.
Prediction: North Carolina 30, NC State 28
Record: 9-2
Brendan Lunga- Contributor
What better way for Mack Brown to go out in his potential last game as head coach than to lose to NC State. The Tar Heels have now lost three straight against the team from Raleigh, finding new ways to lose every single year. The Wolfpack will make it four straight in 2024. After last week’s abysmal performance against BC, this year’s Tar Heels look like they will finish the season as poorly as they have throughout Brown’s second stint as head coach. Expect the Wolfpack to win and win convincingly.
Prediction: North Carolina 20, NC State 34
Record: 2-1