The North Carolina Tar Heels return to the football field after a bye week, looking to end a four-game losing streak. North Carolina is 3-4 on the season and 0-2 in conference play but this weekend presents an opportunity for them to get their first Atlantic Coast Conference win.
But again, it will be a tough task.
North Carolina is heading on the road to face off against Virginia this weekend, hoping to get a big win. The Cavaliers are 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC, looking to build some momentum.
Before Saturday’s game, let’s look at our staff predictions for the matchup between the Tar Heels and Cavaliers.
Zack Pearson
Prediction: Virginia 38, UNC 31
Record: 5-2
I still need UNC to prove me wrong, and I really hope they do. But for this matchup, I don’t see them going on the road and getting a win this week despite Virginia being another winnable game.
UNC really needs to sure things up defensively, force some takeaways and put points on the board to win this one. Let’s see if they can do it.
Aidan Jensen
Prediction: UNC 27, Virginia 24
Record: 6-1
UNC heads up to play a Virginia team that is much better than what we saw last year, despite losing their last two games. North Carolina might not be ready to play football yet, as the program is still dealing with the loss of Tylee Craft. The Tar Heels, however, could also win a game for Tylee. UNC’s offense is better than Virginia’s and, while Virginia has the better defense, it won’t be enough to slow the Tar Heels down in a game when emotions will be running high. North Carolina gets back to .500 and wins a close one.
Matthew Beighle
Prediction: Virginia 31, UNC 20
Record: 4-3
To be honest, I don’t know what to expect from this Mack Brown-coached Tar Heel team coming out of this bye week. My hopes rose over the first three games of the season, only to be crushed into the ground by heartbreaking after a heartbreaking loss. Sitting at the bottom of the ACC as one of only teams without a conference win isn’t a good feeling either. However, I do think the bye week was much needed — a reset on a season that was spiraling out of control. I do think that UNC football gets another win this season, but I don’t think it’s here.
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