Let’s get one thing settled before we dive into UNC’s football schedule: no game is ever easy for the Tar Heels.
We saw that midway through the 2023 campaign, when North Carolina lost an easy matchup against then-1-win UVA. UNC traveled to Atlanta the following week, facing a Georgia Tech team it also should’ve beaten, but allowed the Yellow Jackets to gain first downs on seemingly every play and score on most of their drives.
On paper, the Tar Heels have a significantly easier schedule this year. They open the season with a tough opponent, playing on the road against a solid, Big 10 program in Minnesota that’s made bowl games in five of its last seven seasons, then return to Chapel Hill and face UNC-Charlotte, NC Central and James Madison. None of those three homes games feature a Power 5 opponent, which could be detrimental when determining future rankings.
UNC in a College Football Playoff ranking? That’s cute – and we’re all Tar Heel fans over here. If North Carolina enjoys any early success in 2024, don’t be surprised to see a signature, late-season collapse.
With the schedule being out, which is very home-heavy early and road-heavy deeper into ACC play, we’re going to rank UNC’s 2024 opponents from toughest to weakest.