Well, we have made it folks. We have made it! College football is finally here and it is undisputably my favorite part of fall. There is nothing better, than the passion, the rivalries, and the gameday outfits. Turning on College GameDay on a Saturday morning (when it’s an away game of course because you better believe I’m at every home game). The band, cheerleaders, and dance team are just some of what makes college football the best sport in my opinion.
But how are the major North Carolina college football teams expected to perform this year?
ESPN compiled a list of all 133 FBS teams and ranked them in different tiers ahead of the season. But these aren’t your typical 1-133 rankings. Because honestly, those preseasons mean nothing. It’s the end of the season when I want my team to be ranked. So instead these range from tier 1 (yes, them again) to tier 20 (told you it could be worse). Other interesting tiers include “kinda, sorta, maybe” and “so hot right now”.
There are 7 major North Carolina college football teams. Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, and UNC are all in the ACC. Some with high expectations and others with basically zero expectations. Appalachian State is in the Sun Belt and East Carolina and Charlotte are both in the American Conference. There are some returning coaches and superstar players with high expectations amongst these teams. There are also teams with new coaches or who are starting over at key positions with a lot of unknowns.
So take a look at each of these major North Carolina college football teams and what ESPN thinks about their upcoming season. Each team is listed in alphabetical order (to take out my admitted bias). You can read the full tiers list of every Division 1 team via ESPN here.
App State
BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 19: Tyler Page #20 of the Appalachian State Mountaineers gets tackled by Chance Singleton #11 of the Georgia State Panthers in the second quarter at Kidd Brewer Stadium on October 19, 2022 in Boone, North Carolina.
Tier 11: They’re frisky enough to pull a surprise. Joined by several other teams in their conference App makes the “they could be overlooked and win a game” class. And that is something the Mountaineers have been known to do. ESPN put 11 teams in this tier- Air Force, Army, Coastal Carolina, FAU, Fresno State, Georgia Southern, James Madison, Marshall, North Texas, Ohio, San Diego State, and Western Kentucky.
Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, NC – NOVEMBER 11: Wide receiver Trent Bostick #81 of the Charlotte 49ers celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ football game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Jerry Richardson Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Tier 20: Told you it could be worse. ESPN doesn’t have high hopes for this team that honestly I forgot was even D1. New coach Biff Poggi has created an interesting stir around Charlotte, but will he win on the field? Joining UNCC in this worst of the worst tier are Akron, FIU, Hawaii, Kent State, New Mexico State, Texas State, and UMASS.
Duke
WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 30: A.T. Perry #9 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons makes a catch againt Leonard Johnson #33 of the Duke Blue Devils during the first half of their game at Truist Field on October 30, 2021 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Tier 6: Something good to watch before basketball season. Duke has been above average at some points in football, but they will always be a basketball school.
East Carolina
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 20: Quarterback Holton Ahlers #12 of the East Carolina Pirates celebrates a touchdown against the Navy Midshipmen during the first half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on November 20, 2021 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Tier 16: They probably won’t be awful. I mean, I guess that’s something to be proud of? Joining ECU in this category are Buffalo, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Old Dominion, Tulsa, Utah STate, and Wyoming.
NC State
RALEIGH, NC – NOVEMBER 05: Cyrus Fagan #4 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack intercepts a pass intended for Taylor Morin #2 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during the second half at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 5, 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. NC State won 30-21.
Tier 3B: Teams that should prevent a lot of points from being scored. This tier included 6 teams with anticipated impressive defenses- NC State, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Pitt.
North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 25: Drake Maye #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels breaks away from Drake Thomas #32 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack for a touchdown during the first half of their game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Wolfpack won 30-27 in overtime.
Tier 3A: Teams that should score a bunch of points. In contrast, these 4 teams including UNC behind Drake Maye, are expected to have high-powered offenses. Other teams in this tier are Arkansas, Ole Miss, and TCU.
Wake Forest
Tier 6: Something good to watch before basketball season. It will be interesting to see how Wake Forest fares without quarterback Sam Hartman. Unlike Duke who is also in this tier, I also don’t think of Wake as a basketball school. But ESPN but them in this tier along with Duke, Kansas, Maryland, Syracuse, and UCLA.
