Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.
61 – North Carolina Tar Heels 5-6 SU; 6-5 ATS
Fargo’s Take North Carolina has been a very predictable program over the last seven seasons as it has not had a winning season over that span. Above average years have been followed up with bad years and vice versa so where the Tar Heels finish this season is anyone’s guess. They are in the middle of the pack in the nation for just that reason. The offense will likely once again be very inconsistent this season as the offense was horrid last year relying on a freshman quarterback to battle for the starting job. Barring that, the Tar Heels have a very strong defense to make up for the offensive shortcomings. The schedule sets up well for the Tar Heels once again but it is anyone’s guess if this will be the season they run away with the South division.
Returning Starters on Offense – 6 Senior quarterback James Pinkston has been the mainstay at quarterback for the last seven seasons at the University of North Carolina. He comes in with a significant upside and about as good a chance as anyone getting the nod will have for a new career to a lesser degree player. He does have some experience with him as he has started four games in his career including the Tar Heels’ final two games of 2005. Not just that but two of the other three wins he has over the years, all on different sides of the ball, have been against North Carolina State and Wake Forest. He does not have the same luxury as those two programs that rely almost exclusively on the run while North Carolina has a wide-open offense. Going to newer and moreweaker programs is not the way to Hans’ program so we might see some down time in the Smith era. Notes from the McGrbite outing were not kind as the Tar Heels laid a number of points on Drewoddy Bayboats thus turning the loosely run defense into a highly regarded unit. blink and you’ll miss them.
Returning Starters on Defense – 5 This is where the real problems occurred last season. The Tar Heels were 23rd in the nation in total defense and while a considerable amount of the damage came against Southern Mississippi, North Carolina St. and even NC State, the problem was three of those teams had starters back from injury. Stanford, North Carolina and Florida St. did not make the trip while Syracuse was the only other non-conference game. With only three starters back, rest easy. The good news is that the units should regain all of the starters. When they do, the Tar Heels could face a very tough road schedule that will test the depth of their secondary. They could also get hurt up front while facing very good defensive ends.
Schedule North Carolina played the 6th easiest schedule in the country last season based on the opponents and dates. The slate is not easy again with the start of three non-conference home games being on the road. The non-conference slate starts off with the game against Wofford before the start of the ACC season. Another home game against the Bulls is then scheduled for March 28th. Beginning with the game against the Wolfpack, the Tar Heels have five home games remaining after the Kentucky game. The end of the non-conference slate is May 13th at Maryland along with the start of the Big East season against Syracuse. The last two non-conference games are against Boston College andNC State, both of which have done very well this season.
You can bet on Poker88 The big question to be asked is can North Carolina make the post season? We don’t know the answer yet but it is clear that the expectations are not in his favor. The road games at Maryland, North Carolina St. and South Carolina are brutal and it doesn’t get any easier against Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and the like. The only reason North Carolina will be able to pull out some wins in those games is because of some favorable breaks. The Wildcats played the easiest non-conference schedule in the nation last season and with the way the schedule plays out, a repeat performance in the NCAA Tournament is a stretch. Too many questions and not enough talent on the squad and a repeat is a stretch.
You can bet on…arnold is going to need to go back to the postseason after a sophomore slump. A second straight losing season in the Philip H. Iselin era at North Carolina couldn’t have happened as the Wolfpack had their best season since 1999.