University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Greg Fiume
Rapid Reactions: 2020 Schedule Release
January 22, 2020 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
1. North Carolina's wins over South Carolina and Miami to open last season showed just how important it is to get off to a strong start. The Tar Heels came out of both victories feeling confident they could hang with just about any team in the country, and the excitement they created across those two weeks reinvigorated a fan base accustomed to early-season struggles. But after recording its first winning season since 2016 and winning a bowl game for the first time since 2013, UNC faces higher expectations heading into 2020. How Carolina fares in its season opener at UCF on Sept. 4 and against Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 12 in Atlanta could go a long way toward determining just how special 2020 will be.
2. No matter the results of the UCF and Auburn games, the Tar Heels likely won't be able to accomplish their goals if they can't successfully navigate through five straight games against ACC Coastal Division opponents. That stretch begins with a home game against Georgia Tech on Sept. 26 and ends with a trip to Miami on Oct. 24. In between, UNC visits Virginia on Oct. 3, hosts Virginia Tech on Oct. 10 and plays at Duke on Oct. 17. It's hard to imagine Carolina making the ACC Championship Game if it doesn't post a winning record against those five teams. Even if the Tar Heels go 2-3 and then beat Pittsburgh on Nov. 14 in Chapel Hill to finish .500 against the division, every team that's appeared in the ACC Championship Game has registered a winning divisional record.
3. Due to the calendar allowing for 14 regular-season weeks before conference championship Saturday instead of the usual 13, every team in the country benefitted from two open weeks last season. UNC is back to one open week in 2020, though, and it doesn't fall until the weekend of Oct. 31, eight games into the season. In recent years, it might have been difficult for Carolina to go so long without a break. But with the Tar Heels expected to boast significantly more depth this fall, it could at least be manageable.
4. It's been almost seven years since the ACC announced its current schedule for rotating crossover opponents, which goes through 2024. Remarkably, almost just as much time has passed since UNC last played Boston College on Oct. 26, 2013. Carolina defeated the Eagles 34-10 that day to improve to 5-2 all-time in the series, which finally resumes when the Tar Heels travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Nov. 21. That'll be UNC's first game at Boston College since a 31-13 win on Nov. 21, 2009.
5. Last year's visit to Wake Forest marked Carolina's first Friday game since 2016. In 2020, the Tar Heels will play two Friday games – the season opener at UCF and the season finale against NC State – for the first time since 1897, the 10th season in program history. That's a piece of history Mack Brown and his staff surely won't be happy to be a part of, considering it will take some attention away from two Fridays worth of high school games. The NC State game on Nov. 27 will be the same day as the third round of the NCHSAA playoffs.
1. North Carolina's wins over South Carolina and Miami to open last season showed just how important it is to get off to a strong start. The Tar Heels came out of both victories feeling confident they could hang with just about any team in the country, and the excitement they created across those two weeks reinvigorated a fan base accustomed to early-season struggles. But after recording its first winning season since 2016 and winning a bowl game for the first time since 2013, UNC faces higher expectations heading into 2020. How Carolina fares in its season opener at UCF on Sept. 4 and against Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 12 in Atlanta could go a long way toward determining just how special 2020 will be.
2. No matter the results of the UCF and Auburn games, the Tar Heels likely won't be able to accomplish their goals if they can't successfully navigate through five straight games against ACC Coastal Division opponents. That stretch begins with a home game against Georgia Tech on Sept. 26 and ends with a trip to Miami on Oct. 24. In between, UNC visits Virginia on Oct. 3, hosts Virginia Tech on Oct. 10 and plays at Duke on Oct. 17. It's hard to imagine Carolina making the ACC Championship Game if it doesn't post a winning record against those five teams. Even if the Tar Heels go 2-3 and then beat Pittsburgh on Nov. 14 in Chapel Hill to finish .500 against the division, every team that's appeared in the ACC Championship Game has registered a winning divisional record.
3. Due to the calendar allowing for 14 regular-season weeks before conference championship Saturday instead of the usual 13, every team in the country benefitted from two open weeks last season. UNC is back to one open week in 2020, though, and it doesn't fall until the weekend of Oct. 31, eight games into the season. In recent years, it might have been difficult for Carolina to go so long without a break. But with the Tar Heels expected to boast significantly more depth this fall, it could at least be manageable.
4. It's been almost seven years since the ACC announced its current schedule for rotating crossover opponents, which goes through 2024. Remarkably, almost just as much time has passed since UNC last played Boston College on Oct. 26, 2013. Carolina defeated the Eagles 34-10 that day to improve to 5-2 all-time in the series, which finally resumes when the Tar Heels travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Nov. 21. That'll be UNC's first game at Boston College since a 31-13 win on Nov. 21, 2009.
5. Last year's visit to Wake Forest marked Carolina's first Friday game since 2016. In 2020, the Tar Heels will play two Friday games – the season opener at UCF and the season finale against NC State – for the first time since 1897, the 10th season in program history. That's a piece of history Mack Brown and his staff surely won't be happy to be a part of, considering it will take some attention away from two Fridays worth of high school games. The NC State game on Nov. 27 will be the same day as the third round of the NCHSAA playoffs.
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