Projected 2020 College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings for Week 14

For 30 magical minutes in Chapel Hill on Black Friday, North Carolina went punch for punch with No. 2 Notre Dame and went into halftime tied 17-17 in a game with major ACC implications. Then the Tar Heels failed to score after the break as the Fighting Irish ran away with a 31-17 victory. The College Football Playoff selection committee was high on Mack Brown’s team entering Week 13, putting them four spots higher than the Coaches Poll and six spots than the AP Top 25, and they will stay in the rankings this week despite the loss.

North Carolina racked up 240 yards of offense by halftime. They managed only 58 more in the final two frames. Sam Howell finished the game with 211 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-27 passing, but the vaunted Tar Heels running game fell flat. Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, who entered the game averaging more than 100 yards apiece, were held to only 85 combined yards on 19 carries between them.

The Tar Heels return to the drawing board in Week 14. They get a breather in a non-conference game against FCS Western Carolina at home. From there, North Carolina closes out the regular season at Miami on December 12 with a game that no longer has ACC championship implications for UNC but very well could for the Hurricanes. All that is left for the Tar Heels is to try to play spoiler this year.