2024 North Carolina football predictions: Ranked No. 46 by RJ Young

RJ Young

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

North Carolina Tar Heels ranking: 46/134

[Check out RJ Young’s ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 7th in Atlantic Coast (+3000 to win conference)
Teams ahead of them: Louisiana (45), Boise State (44), Florida (43), Liberty (42), Colorado (41)
Teams behind them: TCU (47), BYU (48), UTSA (49), Troy (50), Duke (51)

[North Carolina 2024 schedule]

RJ’s take: Yes, Mack Brown has had great quarterbacks: Vince Young, Colt McCoy, Drake Maye. But when he’s had a brilliant tailback, he’s always been lethal. But Omarion Hampton is the best one he’s had since the late Cedric Benson.

Last year, Hampton finished with the second-best mark for rushing yards in a season with 1,504 yards. This year he might go for 2,000 yards because he is going to be the offense insofar as Brown is concerned. Along with Ollie Gordon, Hampton is one of the best one-running-back rooms in the country. Don’t split the curries unless you have to. Just hand the ball to the dude wearing No. 28 and averaging 5.9 yards per carry last season, and you’ll be fine.

UNC Tar Heels Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-115) Under 7.5 (-105)

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