2020 Team Preview: Can North Carolina Make The ACC Title Game?

The Atlantic Coast Conference underwent a noticeable change this past week. What was originally supposed to be a split-division schedule, with an ACC Atlantic Division and an ACC Coastal Division, was changed to a non-division schedule. There will not be Atlantic or Coastal Divisions this year. There will simply be a 15-team ACC with Notre Dame added to the normal 14-team ACC. There will be 10 ACC games this year instead of the usual eight games. There will be only one nonconference game instead of the usual four. The top two teams in the conference at the end of a 10-game ACC season will play in the ACC Championship Game. There are no division champions, just the two best teams. Can North Carolina earn a spot in the ACC title game, most likely against league favorite Clemson? Let’s find out.

Offseason Changes

The great thing about the 2020 season for North Carolina, if it happens, is that the Tar Heels lost very few players. Offensive lineman Charlie Heck is their main loss. So much of the roster remains intact, especially on offense.

North Carolina defeats South Carolina in Mack Brown's first game back at the helm for the Tar Heels.

He now has the 2nd-most wins in UNC history, making him 1 of 4 coaches to be in the top 2 in wins at multiple Power 5 schools, joining Steve Spurrier, Bear Bryant and Pop Warner. pic.twitter.com/sVfjWVY7eS

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 31, 2019

The Tar Heels Will Succeed If…

Sam Howell takes the next big step in his development. Howell was a very impressive quarterback as a freshman. He grew into the role and got better as the season went along. He was excellent in a bowl-game blowout over Temple, raising hopes that he can be an elite quarterback this season. North Carolina brings back running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter. It returns receivers Dazz Newsome, Dyami Brown, Beau Corrales, and Rontavius Groves. If Howell is able to reach a very high level of performance, he has the running backs and receivers needed to create a devastating offensive unit. Howell is the reason North Carolina can do big things this year, but now he has to live up to the hype in order to make it happen.

The Tar Heels Will Fail If…

Their defense isn’t up to par. North Carolina, as shown above, has great skill-position players. The Tar Heels are fast and agile on the edges of the field. They will be very tough on offense. Their defense, however, has few stars. Their defensive line and secondary are going to be vulnerable. If opposing ACC offenses light up North Carolina’s defense, the Tar Heels will have a small margin for error, and they will have to win games by scores of 38-35 or 45-40. If the defense can merely be decent – it doesn’t have to be spectacular – North Carolina will become a central challenger to Clemson for the ACC championship.

Prediction

The move from a split-division 14-team ACC without Notre Dame, to a unified 15-team ACC without divisions but with Notre Dame in the mix, has clearly hurt North Carolina. Before the switch in the schedule, North Carolina was the odds-on favorite to win the ACC Coastal Division and face Clemson for the ACC title. Now, with Notre Dame in the ACC and eligible to play for the ACC championship, North Carolina’s chances of playing Clemson for the ACC title have gone down. Notre Dame is now the favorite to face the Tigers. North Carolina could be third in a 15-team league, which is very good, but third place won’t lead to an ACC Championship Game appearance.  

Prediction: 3rd in ACC

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