Where do Tar Heels land in USA Today’s Preseason Rankings of all 134 FBS teams?

College football fans everywhere can finally celebrate, because the season is finally upon us.

We’ll get an appetizer with four games this coming weekend, headlined by the Aer Lingus Classic featuring Florida State and Georgia Tech on Saturday, Aug. 24, but the full slate drops over Labor Day Weekend.

Our North Carolina Tar Heels will be featured in one of the first Week One matchups, as they travel to the Minnesota Golden Gophers for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on Thursday, Aug. 29. This is a rematch of last year’s Week 3 matchup in Kenan Stadium, when Drake Maye threw for 400 yards in UNC’s 31-13 victory.

Looking at how North Carolina stacks up against its FBS counterparts, North Carolina lands 32nd in USA Today’s preseason rankings of all 134 FBS programs.

Entering 2024, the Tar Heels no longer have star quarterback Drake Maye or star wide receiver Devontez Walker. The Tar Heels do return star running back Omarion Hampton, sack machine Kaimon Rucker and sport a new defensive coordinator in Geoff Collins.

UNC’s schedule gets considerably easier after its opener in Minnesota, as UNC hosts Charlotte and NC Central in consecutive weeks. North Carolina then welcomes James Madison to Kenan Stadium – while this is a winnable game, the Dukes play in a tough Sun Belt Conference.

Can the Tar Heels take advantage of their easier schedule and, for once, actually finish the year on a winning streak?

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