By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina is ranked No. 20 in the preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll, with the preseason AP Top 25 poll set to be released next Monday.
UNC is a 2½-point underdog for its 7:30 opener against South Carolina in Charlotte on Sept. 2 (ABC). The Gamecocks aren’t ranked, receiving the 27th-most poll points.
The Tar Heels finished 9–5, losing their last four games after winning eight of the first nine.
As expected, two-time reigning College Football Playoff champion Georgia is No. 1.
Other ACC teams in the poll are No. 8 Florida State and No. 9 Clemson.
Syracuse’s Dino Babers, Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson, Duke’s Mike Elko, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, Pittsburgh’s Pat Narduzzi and Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry are the ACC coaches who vote in the poll.
Preseason Coaches poll
| Rank | Team | Poll points | 1st-place vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 1,643 | 61 |
| 2 | Michigan | 1,510 | 0 |
| 3 | Alabama | 1,489 | 4 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 1,485 | 1 |
| 5 | Louisiana State | 1,294 | 0 |
| 6 | Southern California | 1,228 | 0 |
| 7 | Penn State | 1,181 | 0 |
| 8 | Florida State | 1,145 | 0 |
| 9 | Clemson | 1,078 | 0 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 991 | 0 |
| 11 | Washington | 941 | 0 |
| 12 | Texas | 848 | 0 |
| 13 | Notre Dame | 841 | 0 |
| 14 | Utah | 839 | 0 |
| 15 | Oregon | 820 | 0 |
| 16 | Texas Christian | 655 | 0 |
| 17 | Kansas State | 440 | 0 |
| 18 | Oregon State | 365 | 0 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 320 | 0 |
| 20 | North Carolina | 315 | 0 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 309 | 0 |
| 22 | Mississippi | 303 | 0 |
| 23 | Tulane | 225 | 0 |
| 24 | Texas Tech | 200 | 0 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 196 | 0 |
Iowa 169; South Carolina 89; Florida 63; Texas-San Antonio 59; Pittsburgh 52; UCLA 42; Kentucky 34; Baylor 28; Troy 25; Arkansas 20; NC State 19; Fresno State 19; Boise State 18; Auburn 18; Minnesota 16; Miami 16; Mississippi State 13; Oklahoma State 12; Missouri 11; Maryland 10; Southern Methodist 8; South Alabama 8; Illinois 7; Wake Forest 6; Air Force 6; Toledo 5; Washington State 4; Houston 3; Duke 2; Brigham Young 2; Arizona 2; Memphis 1; Kansas 1; James Madison 1.
UNC schedule
UNC schedule
| Month/ date | Opponent/event | 2023 record | UNC record in series |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | |||
| 20 | Spring game, 3 p.m. | — | — |
| August | |||
| 29 (Thurs.) | at Minnesota | 6–7 | 1–0 |
| September | |||
| 7 | Charlotte | 3–9 | 0–0 |
| 14 | N.C. Central | 9–3 | 0–0 |
| 21 | James Madison | 11–2 | 3–0 |
| 28 | at Duke | 8–5 | 65–40–4 |
| October | |||
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 3–9 | 12–5 |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | 7–6 | 22–33–3 |
| 26 | at Virginia | 3–9 | 66–58–4 |
| November | |||
| 2 | at Florida State | 13–1 | 3–17–1 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 4–8 | 72–36–2 |
| 23 | at Boston College | 7–6 | 6–2 |
| 30 | N.C. State | 9–4 | 68–39–6 |
Photo courtesy of the ACC
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