By R.L. Bynum
There are eight possible bowl destinations for North Carolina, according to 10 bowl projections.
Three predict the Tar Heels (6–6) facing Coastal Carolina (6–6), but each sees the matchup in a different bowl. Two predict UNC will face Army (10–1) (but in two different bowls), two have UNC playing in the Birmingham Bowl, and two see the Tar Heels headed to Detroit.
Picking UNC to play in Detroit at Ford Field in the game now called the GameAboveSports Bowl at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26 (ESPN), are Brad Crawford of 247Sports and Erick Smith of USA Today.
Unlike previous iterations of the bowl, the Mid-American Conference champion doesn’t automatically get a berth. Crawford predicts the opponent to be Toledo (7–5), and Smith says it will be Ohio (9–3). Ohio faces Miami (8–4) in the MAC championship game at noon on Saturday at Ford Field (ESPN).
Carolina played in the Detroit Bowl, which was then called the Quick Lane Bowl, in 2014, losing 40–21 to Rutgers.
The predicted matchups against 6–6 SEC teams for the Birmingham Bowl at noon or 3:30 on Friday, Dec. 27 (ESPN), are more intriguing.
Bill Bender of The Sporting News has the Heels facing Oklahoma in the game at Protective Stadium (UAB’s home stadium), and Mark Schlabach of ESPN has Arkansas — where UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell played last season — as the opponent.
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports predicts the matchup with the Chanticleers (6–6) will be played in the Boca Raton Bowl at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17 (ESPN). Kyle Bonagura of ESPN has it happening at the Cure Bowl in Orlando, Fla., at noon on Friday, Dec. 20 (ESPN). Brett McMurphy of the Action Network predicts they’ll play in the Myrtle Beach Bowl at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23 (ESPN).
The latter would be at Brooks Field in Conway, S.C., Coastal Carolina’s home stadium.
Scott Dochterman and Stewart Mandel of The Athletic, and College Football News predict that UNC will face Army (10–1) on Saturday, Dec. 28.
College Football News sees that matchup happening in the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md., at 5:45 (ESPN), while The Athletic predicts that they’ll play in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., at 9:15 p.m. (ESPN).
UNC beat Temple 55–13 in the 2019 Military Bowl and lost to Missouri 41–24 in the 2011 Independence Bowl.
Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports has UNC facing North Texas (6–6) in the First Responder Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium (SMU’s home stadium) at 4 p.m., Friday, Jan. 3 (ESPN). UNC hasn’t played in a bowl in Dallas since losing 27–13 in the 1950 Cotton Bowl.
UNC bowl projections
Jerry Palm, CBS Sports
vs. Coastal Carolina (6–6) in Boca Raton Bowl, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, ESPN
Kyle Bonagura, ESPN
vs. Coastal Carolina (6–6) in Cure Bowl, Orlando, Fla., noon, Friday, Dec. 20, ESPN
Brett McMurphy, Action Network
vs. Coastal Carolina (6–6) in Myrtle Beach Bowl, 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23, ESPN
Brad Crawford, 247Sports
vs. Toledo (7–5) in GameAboveSports Bowl, Detroit, 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26, ESPN
Erick Smith, USA Today
vs. Ohio (9–3) in GameAboveSports Bowl, Detroit, 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26, ESPN
Bill Bender, The Sporting News
vs. Oklahoma (6–6) in Birmingham Bowl, noon or 3:30 Friday, Dec. 27, ESPN
Mark Schlabach, ESPN
vs. Arkansas (6–6) in Birmingham Bowl, noon or 3:30 Friday, Dec. 27, ESPN
College Football News
vs. Army (10–1) in Military Bowl, Annapolis, Md., 5:45 Saturday, Dec. 28, ESPN
Scott Dochterman and Stewart Mandel, The Athletic
vs. Army (10–1) in Independence Bowl, Shreveport, La., 9:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, ESPN
Steve Lassan, Athlon Sports
vs. North Texas (6–6) in First Responder Bowl, Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3, ESPN
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | |||
| 1 | L, 48–14 | vs. TCU | 0–1 |
| 6 | W, 20–3 | at Charlotte | 1–1 |
| 13 | W, 41–6 | vs. Richmond | 2–1 |
| 20 | L, 34–9 | at UCF | 2–2 |
| October | |||
| 4 | L, 38–10 | vs. Clemson | 2–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 (Fri.) | L, 21–18 | at California | 2–4, 0–2 |
| 25 | L, 17–16, OT | vs. No. 16 Virginia | 2–5, 0–3 |
| 31 (Fri.) | W, 27–10 | at Syracuse | 3–5, 1–3 |
| November | |||
| 8 | W, 20–15 | vs. Stanford | 4–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | L, 28–12 | at Wake Forest | 4–6, 2–4 |
| 22 | L, 32–25 | vs. Duke | 4–7, 2–5 |
| 29 | L, 42–19 | at N.C. State | 4–8, 2–6 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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