College Football: 5 Power Five teams that will miss a bowl in 2017

North Carolina came out and gave Louisville their best shot on Saturday. The Tar Heels hung tough against Louisville despite having to play two quarterbacks. In his first start, Chazz Surratt was carving up the Cardinals secondary. Once he was knocked out of the contest, LSU transfer Brandon Harris was nearly as good in relief.

Harris kept UNC in the battle and actually helped them take a 28-27 lead in the third quarter. But the Tar Heels ran out of steam against Louisville and defending Heisman winner Lamar Jackson. The UNC defense gave up over 500 yards of offense to Jackson alone, and the Cardinals pulled away for a 47-35 win.

The Tar Heels were already in a precarious position after losing their home opener 35-30 to California in Week 1. After two weeks, North Carolina’s defense is giving up 41 points per game to rank No. 121 out of 129 FBS teams in scoring defense. Already down in the conference standings after the loss to Louisville, opportunities for wins are beginning to fade quickly.

Next week’s trip to Old Dominion is not even a guaranteed win for Larry Fedora’s team. The Monarchs are already 2-0 after wins over FCS Albany and UMass. They will be hungry to steal a game against Power Five competition, and the C-USA contenders could dish out both insult and injury when the Tar Heels head to Norfolk.