College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 final rankings

North Carolina actually found themselves ahead 20-17 against Texas A&M heading into the fourth quarter of the Orange Bowl. After the Aggies tied the game on a field goal early in the final frame, the Tar Heels took the lead again on a 75-yard Sam Howell touchdown pass to Josh Downs. Then North Carolina collapsed, conceding 21 straight points to fall 41-27 in the school’s first appearance in a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Howell finished 18-of-31 for 234 yards and three scores, but he received little relief from what was one of the nation’s most formidable backfields in 2020. Both Michael Carter and Javonte Williams opted out of the bowl game to protect their health ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, and their absence was noticeable as the Tar Heels finished with only 90 rushing yards as a team. As the defense allowed 225 yards to the Aggies backs, that proved the difference in Miami.

North Carolina missed their chance to finish in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 for the first time since ending the 1997 season at 11-1 and at No. 4 in the poll in what was the final year of Mack Brown’s first stint in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels also missed out on a spot in the ACC championship game after harboring high hopes of a title run at the start of the year. Even with those unachieved goals, it was still a promising season for a North Carolina team still building a foundation in Brown’s second term as head coach.