North Carolina Football: 2017 season preview, predictions
By Tim Kaiser
2017 schedule
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
| 1 | Sept. 2 | vs. California | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 2 | Sept. 9 | vs. Louisville | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 3 | Sept. 16 | at Old Dominion | Norfolk, VA |
| 4 | Sept. 23 | vs. Duke | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 5 | Sept. 30 | at Georgia Tech | Atlanta, GA |
| 6 | Oct. 7 | vs. Notre Dame | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 7 | Oct. 14 | vs. Virginia | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 8 | Oct. 21 | at Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | vs. Miami | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 10 | BYE | ||
| 11 | Nov. 9 | at Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | vs. Western Carolina | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 13 | Nov. 25 | at NC State | Raleigh, NC |
Final Thoughts
2017 will be a rebuilding year for North Carolina. The pains of the rebuild of the offense are largely up to how good the grad transfers really are and if the defense can pick up their slack.
Running back Jordon Brown showed some flashes of what is possible against Georgia Tech as a true freshman. Stanton Truitt, the grad transfer from Auburn, will get more chances in the first game against Cal than he ever got at Auburn.
If Brandon Harris flourishes like others before him in Fedora’s system, Carolina could surprise people and challenge for the Coastal crown once again.
The general consensus is that won’t happen. The ACC Media has the Tar Heels finishing fifth in the Coastal, although they did get four first-place votes. Bovada set Carolina’s win total at 7. ESPN’s FPI has the Heels at 7.5-4.7.
Prediction: 6-6 (3-5 ACC)
Oh, the curse of high expectations. A bowl game and a Victory Bell used to be enough for Carolina fans. Fedora’s success has made that seem like the floor. 6-6 and 3-5 in the ACC might be a touch pessimistic, but without having seen Harris in the offense it is tough to justify more than six wins.
Louisville and at Virginia Tech are almost sure losses barring something completely unexpected. If Harris really does thrive, the Miami game the weekend before Halloween in Chapel Hill will be insane because of the history.
The other important stretch is Duke, at Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame. Going to Georgia Tech to play that triple option after a rivalry game is basically a scheduled loss. The Notre Dame game, coming off a likely loss, will tell you a lot about this team.
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I see only four “sure” wins on this schedule and only one, Virginia, in the ACC. Wins against Duke and at Pitt get them bowl eligible. The Heels will be underdogs against NC State for the first time under Fedora.
Nine wins is probably Carolina’s ceiling, and five wins is the floor. Six wins might be pessimistic, but this is a year to be a Carolina fan with low expectations and to be happy to be surprised.