http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/92759/best-caseworst-case-north-carolina-tar-heels
Best Case
"You thought last season was a special one for North Carolina? Just wait until this fall arrives, when Mitch Trubisky builds off the spot duty he got the previous two years and emerges as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. The skill guys around him help that cause, with guys like Elijah Hood, Ryan Switzer and Mack Hollins emerging as among the ACC’s best at their positions. Holding it all together, of course, is one of the nation’s most experienced offensive lines, allowing Larry Fedora’s offense to take yet another step in the fifth year of the coach’s tenure.
And that defense? Well, Gene Chizik’s 2015 work turns out to be more than just a one-year wonder. The secondary looks like one of the league’s best, continuing to limit the big plays and getting the ball back to the prolific offense.
UNC, coming off a program-best 11-win campaign, opens with a bang in a win over Georgia. The Tar Heels drop just one game, at Florida State on Oct. 1, and avenge that loss against the Seminoles in the ACC title game, clinching an improbable berth in the College Football Playoff.
Worst case
It’s hard to imagine this offense not playing at a high level in 2016, but in our worst-case scenario, it turns out much of the previous years’ exploits on that side of the ball were a product of Marquise Williams more than anything else. Trubisky fails to adequately fill those shoes on a full-time basis, and inconsistency holds the unit back from truly taking off. Last year’s defensive revival turns out to be nothing more than improvements from an atrocious 2014 unit, as the Heels again fail to stop the run and get off the field.
And the schedule? Well, that does UNC no favors. Opening in Atlanta with a defeat against UGA sets the wrong tone for a season gone sideways, as the Heels go on to drop early-season contests to FSU and Pittsburgh, as well. With expectations at an all-time high, so-so play and an improved Coastal division combine to leave UNC with just a 7-5 mark, with few breaks going the Heels’ way."
Best Case
"You thought last season was a special one for North Carolina? Just wait until this fall arrives, when Mitch Trubisky builds off the spot duty he got the previous two years and emerges as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. The skill guys around him help that cause, with guys like Elijah Hood, Ryan Switzer and Mack Hollins emerging as among the ACC’s best at their positions. Holding it all together, of course, is one of the nation’s most experienced offensive lines, allowing Larry Fedora’s offense to take yet another step in the fifth year of the coach’s tenure.
And that defense? Well, Gene Chizik’s 2015 work turns out to be more than just a one-year wonder. The secondary looks like one of the league’s best, continuing to limit the big plays and getting the ball back to the prolific offense.
UNC, coming off a program-best 11-win campaign, opens with a bang in a win over Georgia. The Tar Heels drop just one game, at Florida State on Oct. 1, and avenge that loss against the Seminoles in the ACC title game, clinching an improbable berth in the College Football Playoff.
Worst case
It’s hard to imagine this offense not playing at a high level in 2016, but in our worst-case scenario, it turns out much of the previous years’ exploits on that side of the ball were a product of Marquise Williams more than anything else. Trubisky fails to adequately fill those shoes on a full-time basis, and inconsistency holds the unit back from truly taking off. Last year’s defensive revival turns out to be nothing more than improvements from an atrocious 2014 unit, as the Heels again fail to stop the run and get off the field.
And the schedule? Well, that does UNC no favors. Opening in Atlanta with a defeat against UGA sets the wrong tone for a season gone sideways, as the Heels go on to drop early-season contests to FSU and Pittsburgh, as well. With expectations at an all-time high, so-so play and an improved Coastal division combine to leave UNC with just a 7-5 mark, with few breaks going the Heels’ way."
