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5 Dark horse contenders for 2021 College Football Playoff

By Chris Peterson

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell and quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) lead the Bearcats onto the field before the first quarter of the NCAA American Athletic Conference football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the East Carolina Pirates at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. The Bearcats led 35-10 at halftime.East Carolina Pirates At Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell and quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) lead the Bearcats onto the field before the first quarter of the NCAA American Athletic Conference football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the East Carolina Pirates at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. The Bearcats led 35-10 at halftime.East Carolina Pirates At Cincinnati Bearcats /
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Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

North Carolina

Fresh off an Orange Bowl appearance last season, North Carolina is a trendy pick for the College Football Playoff or at least a contender.

Yet, the Tar Heels have some things working against them. For starters, they are not one of the 16 teams included in the blue-chip ratio put out by Bud Elliott of 247 sports. This formula says you need at least 50 percent of your recruits to be ranked as four or five-star recruits.

No team in the internet rankings era has ever won the national title and not met this criterion. But we aren’t talking about the national title — we are talking about making the College Football Playoff and North Carolina can realistically do that.

Mack Brown is proving he can recruit and he knows how to win games. He’s also got one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Sam Howell, who is back after throwing for 3,586 yards and 30 touchdowns.

North Carolina lost its best running backs to the NFL but added Ty Chandler from Tennessee in the transfer portal. The schedule also isn’t bad.

UNC won’t even play Clemson unless they meet in the ACC title game. The Tar Heels play at Virginia Tech and NC State, as well as Notre Dame.

But the fact is, if North Carolina is 11-1 with a loss to Notre Dame heading into the ACC title game, it could be a win and in scenario.

And with a quarterback like Howell, winning a game like that is always possible.

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