Replacing your starting quarterback, number one wide receiver, star linebacker and defensive coordinator can all spell problems for plenty of college football teams.
If you have a star player amongst a team with plenty of question marks, though, he can usually win you a couple games alone.
All of the above describe – you guessed it – the North Carolina Tar Heels.
UNC lost quarterback Drake Maye, starting wide receiver Tez Walker and starting linebacker Cedric Gray to the NFL draft. North Carolina swapped defensive coordinators, ousting Gene Chizik and bringing in former Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins.
To help offset these changes, UNC has one of the game’s best running backs in Omarion Hampton, who rushed for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter. Hampton, who will be the featured player in the Tar Heels offense, will certainly make life easier for whoever the new starting quarterback is.
Even with a largely new roster and DC, North Carolina is projected to win eight games this fall by College Football News.
UNC’s likely wins are in its home opener against Charlotte (Sept. 7) and NC Central (Sept. 14). CFN has toss-ups listed as Minnesota (Aug. 29), James Madison (Sept. 21), Duke (Sept. 28), Pitt (Oct. 5), Georgia Tech (Oct. 12), Virginia (Oct. 26), Wake Forest (Nov. 16), Boston College (Nov. 23) and NC State (Nov. 30), while Florida State (Nov. 2) is listed as a likely loss.
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