I Am Fading The Shit Out Of North Carolina Football In 2023

WIN TOTAL WEDNESDAY: NORTH CAROLINA UNDER 8.5 WINS

There’s a lot of hype around this North Carolina team heading into 2023 and on some level rightfully so. Returning QB Drake Maye solidified himself last season as one of the best QBs and overall players in the entire country. However I am fading this teams win total because of one massive glaring hole. Defense. This defense is a mess. It was atrocious in 2022 and from the returning players this offseason and lack of impact pickups in the transfer portal I have no reason to believe this years unit is going to be much better. They ranked dead last in the ACC yesterday in defense and I wouldn’t be shocked to see them back in the same spot again. 

On offense Drake Maye is terrific. He without question will be one of the top picks whenever he decides to declare for the NFL Draft. Their problem is he might be all they have. UNC lost last years best receiver Josh Downs to the NFL draft and don't return much high level contributors from last season. Drake Maye could play out of his mind and it still wouldn’t surprise me if the offense took a slight step back just based on the adjustment period of these young and unproven weapons sliding in big roles on offense. 

To me, this is a 6 to 8 win team at best. They avoid Florida State but still have some really tough road games like South Carolina, Clemson and NC State. Minnesota is a sneaky tough home game for them with their contrasting defensive oriented/ground and pound style of play. The middle of the ACC is a crap shoot and in my opinion they'd have to go pretty much perfect (or close to it) in games against Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Pitt, Miami, Virginia and Duke. Now granted it‘s not exactly a gauntlet but this UNC team is by no means world beaters and this poses a bunch of games that should be very competitive. My official prediction for the Tar Heels is a 7-5 season, but anything under 8.5 wins will suffice.