2021 College Football Bowl Projections: Where UNC Could Play
North Carolina running back Ty Chandler (19) opens for 35 yards in the fourth quarter against NC State on Friday, November 26, 2021 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC
North Carolina’s loss to NC State in the regular season finale cost the Tar Heels more than bragging rights.
This eliminated a chance for UNC (6-6) to potentially claim a spot in one of the ACC’s Level I bowls. If the Heels had finished 7-5 and dropped NC State to 8-4, it would have left the ACC with three teams (UNC, NCSU, Miami) that would be eligible for a spot in the Cheez-It Bowl (Orlando), Gator Bowl (Jacksonville) or Holiday Bowl (San Diego).
The league has a rule that a team with a better record can only be overtaken in the bowl order if a win separates the teams.
The Wake-Pitt winner in Saturday’s ACC title game will own the New Years Six’s draw auction. This season, that will likely mean the Peach Bowl instead of the Fiesta Bowl. The loser of Wake-Pitt and Clemson will claim two of the league’s Tier I auctions.
The Tar Heels can’t beat any team for a Level I bowl. The CCA has four other teams with a 0.500 record: Louisville, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Boston College. These schools, along with 7-5 Miami, are the ones that will be considered for five games of bowling.
The League’s Tier II offerings are for Pinstripe Bowl (New York), Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Charlotte) and Sun Bowl (El Paso). Its Level III offerings are for the Military Bowl (Annapolis) and the Fenway Bowl (Boston).
Most bowl throws have the Heels playing in the Pinstripe Bowl, which takes place at Yankee Stadium, against a Big Ten opponent.
Carolina hasn’t played Charlotte for a bowl since it was still called the Belk Bowl in 2013, so that might be appealing to Duke’s Mayo Bowl organizers. The reason they may look elsewhere is that UNC faced South Carolina in the 2019 season opener in Charlotte. It might just be too early to return to Charlotte.
The remaining ACC bowl eligible team that does not play in its bowl matches will be the choice between the Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa), Birmingham Bowl or the First Responder Bowl (Dallas).
No matter where Caroline ends up playing her bowl, the memory of her collapse in the last two minutes against the Wolfpack will force her to work on closing the games. After the game, UNC coach Mack Brown repeatedly said the Heels had to learn how to finish.
Linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel blamed their execution squarely as he said the Heels are looking at scenarios such as their late-game defensive covers and side kick recovery every week in practice.
“We work on end-of-game situations so often, it’s something that we as players have to be responsible for,” said Gemmel. “You can’t say it’s the coaches because the coaches prepare us every day for situations like this. “
Despite the start of the playoffs with this lingering disappointment, there is still a silver lining to it. Brown spoke about the importance of saving extra practice time while preparing the bowl. This allows the team to integrate more young players who have not played much during the season in the training rehearsals.
“It’s really, really important to us as young as we are that we get the extra 13 workouts,” Brown told reporters on a video conference last week. “And that prepares you better for the next (year).”
Carolina expects to have several first entrants in its 2022 recruiting class who will sign in the first period on Dec.15. Brown said players who graduated from high school early are allowed to join the team to practice before the bowl.
All boules games will be officially announced on Sunday.
UNC bowl projections
ESPN.com: Fenway Bowl vs. UCF / Pinstripe Bowl vs. Penn State
Athleticism : Pinstripe Bowl vs. Maryland
College football news: Pinstripe Bowl vs. Penn State
Sports illustrated: Sun Bowl vs. Arizona State
CBS Sports: Bowl Gasparilla vs. Western Kentucky
This story was originally published November 29, 2021 3:31 PM.