North Carolina Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017

Entering head coach Larry Fedora’s sixth season, North Carolina football prepares for some bumps in the road in 2017.

Larry Fedora has seen relative success since becoming the North Carolina Tar Heels head coach. He enters the 2017 season with a 40-25 record overall but his winning percentage could take a hit this upcoming season.

The Tar Heels boast the 37th ranked schedule in terms of strength, according to ESPN’s FPI. The front half of their schedule, outside of the Louisville Cardinals, is pretty feasible. However, once October hits, the challenges will push North Carolina to either stand tall or crumble.

The Tar Heels defense will need to show last season’s experiences paid off. The team was first in the conference passing yards allowed (180.8 ypg) but last in rushing yards allowed (227.3 ypg).

They’ll need to replace quarterback Mitch Trubisky, but the hope is the emergence of former LSU Tigers quarterback Brandon Harris, a graduate transfer, will help for a smooth transition.

Harris will need find a running back to replace the Tar Heels dynamic duo of T.J. Logan and Elijah Hood (1,508 rushing yards, 15 rush TDs combined). Through the air, the Tar Heels top two receivers (Ryan Switzer, Bug Howard) are gone but senior wide receiver Austin Proehl returns looking to have a big season.

The North Carolina Tar Heels won’t face a tough challenge Week One when the California Golden Bears come to town. The Golden Bears are going through a transition after firing head coach Sonny Dykes last season.

After an 8-5 season in 2015, the Golden Bears took a step back, going 5-7 in 2016. Dykes had a 19-30 record after four seasons as the head coach. While the offense was exciting, the defense was abysmal. Now under former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox hopes to bring the defense up to par.

With a new defensive coordinator in place (Tim DeRuyter), the team also transitions to a 3-4 defense. They have the experience at defensive end and linebacker to make the move work next season, but it’s still a rebuilding process for this team.

California will need to find a new quarterback. They’ll be without Davis Webb in 2017. Whoever the new quarterback is he’ll have two reliable running backs in Tre Watson and Vic Enwere, both seniors.

Final: California 20, North Carolina 35 (1-0)