North Carolina football: Updated game-by-game predictions for 2020

North Carolina football is armed with experience and momentum and is aiming for its first ACC championship berth since 2015.

In college football, momentum can be king. On the recruiting trail or on the field, momentum can be a catalyst for a program and help take them to the next level and that is exactly where North Carolina finds itself — with momentum on the recruiting trail and the way they ended the season on the field.

North Carolina is returning one of the most experienced rosters in the entire country and more importantly, star quarterback Sam Howell is a year older and could be ready to make a Heisman Trophy push. No program other than Clemson has more momentum than the Tar Heels in the ACC and that could translate into a big season.

I have made the point before, but programs have a tendency to show if they are championship caliber in a coach’s second season. Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer at Florida all took big leaps in their second season and showed what their programs were capable of.

The second year is important because all the players should be bought in and comfortable with the scheme and the coach has his first recruiting class in. Not many programs have a quarterback the caliber of Howell and not many programs are trending upward like Mack Brown’s Tar Heels which is why they’re contenders for a spot in the ACC title game and potential playoff dark-horses.

Here is an updated look at how the Tar Heels’ season will play out in 2020.