With four wins in their first six games this football season, the North Carolina Tar Heels are just two wins away from bowl eligibility.
UNC (4-2, 2-1 ACC) won each of its past two games, most recently another fourth quarter comeback to beat archival Duke, 24-20. North Carolina began its 2026 campaign with a 15-10 upset over TCU, followed with a 32-point thumping of ETSU, then upset a then-ranked Pitt squad on October 10.
The Tar Heels have six more chances to reach bowl eligibility, starting with Saturday's 7:30 p.m. kickoff vs. Syracuse. In ESPN's latest bowl projections, UNC is going to either the Duke's Mayo Bowl or Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.
Kyle Bonagura has North Carolina facing Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, December 26
at 12 p.m. on ABC, while Mark Schlabach has the Tar Heels battling Northwestern in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.
Wisconsin is also 4-2, most recently losing 17-7 at 12th-ranked UCLA. 25th-ranked Northwestern, which needs just one win to reach bowl eligibility, escaped Michigan State in a 24-21, fourth-quarter comeback.
Here are ESPN’s bowl projections.
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) October 19, 2026
Penn State fans might be interested in who the opponent is… pic.twitter.com/MskI2TEwhm
UNC has stars across its roster. Jordan Shipp is every bit of a WR1, while North Carolina has three RB1s in its crowded room. Greg Smith's emergence at safety is a huge positive for the Tar Heels, who have the ACC's best pass-rusher in Xavier Lewis up front.
Bowl eligibility should be UNC's main goal in Bill Belichick's second season, which looks increasingly likely thanks to recent plan. Can North Carolina continue to surpass expectations en route to the postseason?
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC slated to face Big 10 teams in ESPN's latest bowl projections
