North Carolina Tar Heels: #20 in Preseason Coaches Poll

The North Carolina Tar Heels were an early inclusion in the College Football Coaches Poll.

The North Carolina Tar Heels were included in the first Top 25 Coaches Poll of the year. The Heels settle in at number 20, right on top of the Baylor Bears. Baylor did defeat the Heels in the Russell Athletic Bowl at the end of the last season.

North Carolina will not have an easy path to get back to the playoff discussion either. That would require an ACC Championship and the Atlantic Division put two teams in the top five of the poll with Florida State and Clemson. Both the Seminoles and the Tigers earned first place votes. Clemson was ranked number two overall.

As for climbing the poll, the Tar Heels have number sixteen Georgia the first week of the season. The Heels also face Florida State later on in the year. Those are the big opportunities for the team right now. No other team on their schedule is currently ranked.

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Miami is sitting just outside the poll and could end up ranked by the time the Heels play them.

Notre Dame is sitting at number nine in the poll and could affect the teams that the Tar Heels play. The Irish play Duke, NC State, and Miami this season. A win by any of those three (particularly Miami) could make them a valuable target on the Tar Heels schedule.

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2016 Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (55)
2. Clemson Tigers (7)
3. Oklahoma Sooners
4. Florida State Seminoles (1)
5. Ohio State Buckeyes
6. LSU Tigers
7. Stanford Cardinal
8. Michigan Wolverines
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
10. Tennessee Volunteers (1)
11. Michigan State Spartans
12. Ole Miss Rebels
13. Houston Cougars
14. TCU Horned Frogs
15. Iowa Hawkeyes
16. Georgia Bulldogs
17. USC Trojans
18. Washington Huskies
19. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. North Carolina Tar Heels
21. Baylor Bears
22. Oregon Ducks
23. Louisville Cardinals
24. UCLA Bruins
25. Florida Gators

Others Receiving Votes

Miami (120), Wisconsin (82), Utah (73), Boise State (73), Washington State (47), Texas A&M (37), Texas (34), Arkansas (34), Northwestern (31) and Navy (30)

The final thing to note about the opening coaches poll is that one Group of Five team made it in. Houston would play ECU if both teams made it to the AAC Championship game. More relevant would be Navy garnering thirty votes and definitely on the ECU schedule.

Next: Tar Heels Picked Top of Coastal

The Appalachian State Mountaineers received no mention here and that is a reflection of how weak the Sun Belt is perceived right now.