247Sports has the best and worst case scenario for UNC football

The UNC football program enters the 2023 season with some high expectations, especially with quarterback Drake Maye returning as the starting quarterback.

Last season, we saw this North Carolina team start 9-1 before losing four-straight games including the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and the Holiday Bowl. But this year, the schedule is a little tougher to start for UNC and also features Clemson and NC State at the back end.

So what should we expect from Mack Brown’s team? Brad Crawford of 247Sports put out his best and worst-case scenarios for each ACC team and for UNC, he has them at 11-1 and 8-0 in conference play as his best case and 6-6 and 4-4 in the worst case:

Best case scenario: 11-1, 8-0

Worst case: 6-6, 4-4

Predicting what happens: When you have a player as talented as Drake Maye at quarterback, getting to the realm of the elites is a possibility. However, UNC did replace its top assistant coach (Phil Longo), lost its most productive wideout (Josh Downs) and faces a schedule in 2023 considerably more difficult than last. The Tar Heels open with a must-win against South Carolina in Charlotte before hosting Appalachian State (63-61 in 2022) and Minnesota (a preseason Big Ten West contender). That’s brutal. If UNC’s defense improves and Maye plays like the first-round caliber signal caller he is, the Tar Heels could get back to the ACC Championship Game. Somewhere near seven or eight wins feels more likely.

Having Maye as your starter means you should be in almost every game you play in this year. Just his skill alone gives you a chance. The biggest factor for UNC could be the defense which struggled to start off last year but improved as the season went on.

We will see if the Tar Heels get close to either scenario.