College football season is still fairly new, but we’ve already seen plenty of surprises.
I don’t think anyone expected Florida State to start 0-3 – and I feel confident that no one expected Miami to start 3-0. Georgia and Ohio State are undefeated, as expected, while Colorado is trying to rebound from an embarrassing 2023 – after all the preseason hype it received.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are 3-0, but they may not be as good as their record shows. UNC did escape Minnesota with a quality win in Week One, but struggled early against lesser opponents in Charlotte and NC Central.
In USA Today’s re-ranking of all 134 FBS teams, North Carolina fell three spots to 37th. The Tar Heels are just a spot ahead of Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach) – and a spot behind Rutgers.
UNC will get a good test this coming weekend, when it welcomes Sun Belt power James Madison to Kenan Stadium. The Dukes are one of the FBS’ better Group of 5 programs, enjoying a winning season every year since 2014.
North Carolina’s legitimacy will be tested at the start of ACC play, with consecutive games against archrival Duke, a much-improved Pitt squad and Georgia Tech. Virginia is also exceeding expectations early, as is Boston College.
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