Through one week of the 2022 college football season, the North Carolina Tar Heels have moved up in the latest ESPN football power index rankings.
Now ranked 30th, UNC is working its way into the top 25, and their 56-24 win over Florida A&M will help that effort. However, FAMU was without 25 players, and some could say giving up 24 points was just too many for the lopsided rosters.
This season the UNC football program came in with a different off-season tune, not placing in the top 25 versus their 10th preseason ranking last year. The low ranking could be credited to the 6-7 record in 2021 and the departure of quarterback Sam Howell.
For UNC to crack that top 25, they will need to win games against teams on their level, starting with Appalachian State this Saturday. A win not only offers North Carolina a chance to crack ESPNS’ top 25 FPI rankings, but they also can end their seven-game losing streak on the road.
Why is North Carolina now an underdog against App State?
Well, among Power 5 teams only Arizona (12) and Duke (8) have a longer active losing streak in road / neutral site games than North Carolina (7)
The Heels have not won away from Kenan Stadium since drubbing Miami in 2020.
— Bryan Ives (@awaytoworthy) August 30, 2022
The excellent news is that UNC quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag] looks like a star in the making. The bad news is that defensive struggles were fully displayed in the season opener, showing the same bad qualities as before. If UNC wants to leap into that top 25 and stay, their defense will have to stay on pace with the offense for a more well-rounded team.
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