North Carolina Tar Heels 2015 Football Non-Conference Schedule Thoughts
The North Carolina Tar Heels either learned their lesson from last year’s schedule or they have not. Their 2015 schedule was released yesterday and the non-conference segment looks a bit different.
More from North Carolina Tar Heels
- NC Colleges Provide Coronavirus Results from Athletic Departments
- UNC Football gets Commitment from Top Cornerback
- Four North Carolina players selected in first round of MLB Draft
- UNC Destroyed by Coach Duggs and Tennessee in NCAA Football 14
- UNC Basketball: Former Tar Heel star calls out Roy Williams
The 2014 schedule saw Notre Dame, San Diego State, East Carolina, and Liberty make appearances. With three bowl teams, this was the sort of schedule that the Tar Heels needed. They had a national opponent, a respectable opponent that they should beat, a strong local opponent, and a FCS warm up school. The defense deserted the Heels and they went 2-2 in this schedule while offensive gimmicks hampered the development on that side of the ball.
All things considered, it wasn’t a bad showing. The toughness here paired with the rotation of Clemson on to the schedule made life difficult for a rebuilding Heels team. A stocked Heels team would have at least benefitted in the eyes of the polls and bowls from such a schedule.
Move to 2015. South Carolina returns to the opening day schedule with a game to be played in Charlotte. Both teams were searching for answers at the end of their seasons, and both will be ripe for that first game. South Carolina is a worthy non-conference opponent to schedule most years.
Live Feed
Busting Brackets
That’s all the nice things I can say about the schedule. The other big opponent on the schedule is Illinois, which has been struggling to get things going in the first two years of Coach Tim Beckman. Illinois, like Carolina, is looking for a turnaround. Not the strongest Big Ten program to schedule, but the Tar Heels are catching them at the right time.
The thing I do not like, and the playoff committee will not like either, is the scheduling of two Division FCS schools to round things out. The Tar Heels play both North Carolina A&T Aggies and the Delaware Blue Hens this season. The Aggies are coached by UNC alum Rod Broadway. The Hens are coached by Dave Brock. Both men served on John Bunting’s staff, though at different times.
It is because of this that I support the Wake-UNC series coming in 2019. Anything that gets the FCS schools off the schedule. I will mention that Wake is playing North Carolina in football this upcoming year which is a big difference than playing Clemson.
UNC went 6-7 last season with a schedule that included Notre Dame, East Carolina, and Rutgers in the Quick Lane Bowl.
With the non-conference schedule this year, the Tar Heels should better last year’s win total just by virtue of scheduling regardless of whether the team improves. Do wins mean everything in college football? Does it matter at all how they are earned?