By R.L. Bynum
If the majority of the bowl projections are correct, North Carolina will play in the Gator Bowl for the first time since the last season of Coach Mack Brown’s first stint at UNC. Another projection features a tantalizing quarterback matchup and struggling defenses.
Of the 11 projections from media outlets, seven have the Tar Heels taking on Tennessee (8–4, 4–4 SEC) at noon on Friday, Dec. 29, (ESPN) in the Gator Bowl, where UNC is 5–2. All of the bowl matchups will be announced on Sunday.
The Tar Heels (8–4, 4–4 ACC), who lost their last two regular-season games, including Saturday’s 39–20 setback at N.C. State, have lost their last three bowl games and six of the last seven.
The Volunteers, who got the 26th-most poll points in the latest AP Top 25, finished third in the SEC East.
Junior running back Jaylen Wright ran for 1,032 yards and four touchdowns for the Vols. Redshirt senior quarterback Joe Milton threw for 2,813 yards and 20 touchdowns, with his favorite target sophomore wide receiver Squirrel White, who had 764 reception yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. was Tennessee’s only All-SEC pick.
Tennessee and UNC had two common opponents this season. Tennessee rolled to a 49–13 opening-game win over Virginia, while UNC lost at home 31–27 on Oct. 21. Both beat South Carolina (Tennessee 41–20 at home on Sept. 30 and UNC 31–17 in the season opener in Charlotte on Sept. 2.)
Carolina plays a home men’s basketball game at 8 p.m. against Charleston Southern on the same day as the Gator Bowl, but the games obviously wouldn’t overlap.
The last time UNC played in the Gator Bowl, Virginia Tech wasn’t yet in the ACC, and the Tar Heels coasted to a 42–3 victory over the Hokies after the 1997 season. Brown had taken the Texas job after the regular season, and Carl Torbush coached the Tar Heels in that game.
Carolina beat West Virginia 20–13 a year earlier in the Gator Bowl. UNC has also played in the Gator Bowl in 1993 (24–10 loss to Alabama), 1981 (31–27 win over Arkansas), 1979 (17–15 win over Michigan), 1971 (7–3 loss to Georgia), and 1963 (35–0 win over Air Force).
Of the four other projections, two have UNC playing in the 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29, Sun Bowl (CBS) in El Paso, Texas, where the Tar Heels are 2–3. That game wouldn’t overlap with the Charleston Southern men’s basketball game either.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura sees the Tar Heels opponent as Southern Cal (7–5, 5–4 Pac-12), and Bill Bender of The Sporting News projects the opposition as No. 21 Oregon State (8–4, 5–4 Pac-12).
A USC-UNC bowl game would match a pair of quarterbacks projected as early picks in the 2024 NFL Draft — the Tar Heels’ Drake Maye and the Trojans’ Caleb Williams, last season’s Heisman Trophy winner. Both would likely put up big numbers, considering both defenses’ struggles all season.
UNC lost to Stanford 25–23 in its last Sun Bowl appearance in 2016. The Tar Heels also played in that game in 1994 (35–31 loss to Texas), 1982 (26–10 win over Texas), 1974 (26–24 loss to Mississippi State) and 1972 (32–28 win over Texas Tech).
Erick Smith of USA Today predicts UNC will be in the Holiday Bowl for the second consecutive season, though that seems unlikely, facing Utah (8–4, 5–4 Pac-12) on Dec. 27. Carolina lost to Oregon last season at the San Diego game in Petco Park (the San Diego Padres’ stadium) 28–27.
The College Football News predicts Carolina for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte at 5:30 Wednesday, Dec. 27, (ESPN) against Kentucky (7–5, 3–5 SEC), which finished the regular season by upsetting No. 15 Louisville 38–31.
UNC is 1–4 in the Charlotte bowl that has had several corporate names, last playing in the game when it lost 38–21 to South Carolina in 2021. It has also played in that game in 2013 (39–17 win over Cincinnati), 2009 (19–17 loss to Pittsburgh), 2008 (31–30 loss to West Virginia) and 2004 (37–24 loss to Boston College).
If Carolina is in the Holiday Bowl or the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, there would be no conflicts with other sports because no other games are scheduled for that day.
Bowl projections
CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm: Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., vs. Tennessee (8–4, 4–4 SEC), noon, Friday, Dec. 29, ESPN
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: Gator vs. Tennessee
247 Sports’ Brad Crawford: Gator vs. Tennessee
Athlon’s Steve Lassan: Gator vs. Tennessee
Action Network’s Brett McMurphy: Gator vs. Tennessee
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel and Schott Dochterman: Gator vs. Tennessee
Fox Sports’ Bryan Fischer: Gator vs. Tennessee
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura: Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, vs. Southern Cal (7–5, 5–4 Pac-12), 2 p.m., Friday, Dec. 29, CBS
The Sporting News’ Bill Bender: Sun vs. No. 21 Oregon State (8–4, 5–4 Pac-12)
USA Today’s Erick Smith: Holiday Bowl in San Diego vs. Utah (8–4, 5–4 Pac-12), 5 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 27, Fox
College Football News: Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte vs. Kentucky (7–5, 3–5 SEC), 5:30, Wednesday, Dec. 27, ESPN
UNC season statistics
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 via @UNCFootball
tarheeltribune.com 
