North Carolina
North Carolina is 5-4 and No. 30 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 10.5 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: won 38-21 at UConn in Week 10.
Week 11: vs Louisville, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why North Carolina is No. 30
- North Carolina's rating is 10.5: the machine's estimate that North Carolina is 10.5 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 30 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 4.9, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 5.6.
- The biggest weekly moves: +2.5 after Week 1 (W 15-10 vs TCU) and +2.0 after Week 5 (L 26-37 vs Notre Dame).
- Its record is 5-4. The 4 losses were to No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 6 Miami, No. 41 Clemson, No. 60 Syracuse, by 5.8 points on average. The 5 wins came by 12.4 points on average; the best was over No. 28 Duke. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 40 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 29 Baylor (10.9); just below is No. 31 Wisconsin (10.5).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Bill Belichick is in his 2nd season at North Carolina (since 2025). This season: 5-4. At North Carolina overall: 9-12, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 181-279 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2148 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 18-6 |
| Yards per attempt* | 7.7No. 61 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 9.8%No. 85 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 6.1%No. 88 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 273-1028 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 3.8No. 108 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 13.0%No. 88 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 15.0%No. 30 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 27.1No. 76 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 5.80No. 76 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 45.9%No. 27 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 69.7%No. 30 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 12No. 83 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 22.8No. 50 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.30No. 47 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 6.7No. 44 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.0No. 70 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 5.2%No. 92 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 11No. 68 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 44.1%No. 121 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Billy Edwards178-273, 2126 yds, 18 TD, 6 INT
- Miles O'Neill3-6, 22 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- Benjamin Hall69 carries, 377 yds, 1 TD
- Demon June87 carries, 349 yds, 8 TD
- Jaylen McGill54 carries, 261 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
- Jordan Shipp50 catches, 642 yds, 4 TD
- Jelani Thurman45 catches, 525 yds, 8 TD
- Trech Kekahuna21 catches, 248 yds, 1 TD
Tackles
- Derek Mcdonald89
- Peyton Seelmann82
- Leroy Jackson53
Sacks
- Xavier Lewis7
- Peyton Seelmann4.5
- Jaylen Harvey2
Interceptions
- Gregory Smith3
- Jalon Thompson1
- Kenton Dopson III1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Billy EdwardsMost passes in the last game9 games273 attempts98%
- Miles O'Neill1 game6 attempts2%
Carrying
- Demon June9 games87 carries39%
- Benjamin Hall8 games69 carries31%
- Jaylen McGill9 games54 carries24%
- Jo Jo Troupe1 game5 carries2%
Catching
- Jordan Shipp9 games50 catches28%
- Jelani Thurman9 games45 catches25%
- Trech Kekahuna8 games21 catches12%
- Jaylen McGill4 games12 catches7%
Tackling
- Derek Mcdonald9 games89 tackles13%
- Peyton Seelmann9 games82 tackles12%
- Leroy Jackson9 games53 tackles8%
- Gregory Smith9 games50 tackles7%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 15–10 vs TCU (neutral site). The passing game was the strength: 8.2 yards an attempt, 2.0 more than TCU usually allows. The fewest yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 2 W 35–3 vs East Tennessee State. East Tennessee State is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 3 L 20–28 at Clemson. The run game was the strength: 5.5 yards a carry, 1.9 more than Clemson usually allows. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 5 L 26–37 vs Notre Dame. The passing game was the strength: 7.4 yards an attempt, 1.2 more than Notre Dame usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 6 W 21–17 at Pittsburgh. The pass defense was the strength: Pittsburgh got 5.0 yards an attempt, 2.8 under what it usually gains. Its fewest yards a carry of the season.
- Week 7 W 24–20 at Duke. The passing game was the strength: 7.8 yards an attempt, 1.7 more than Duke usually allows.
- Week 8 L 30–31 vs Syracuse. The passing game struggled: 6.2 yards an attempt, 1.9 less than Syracuse usually allows. The machine had North Carolina by 12.9 (79%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 9 L 35–38 vs Miami. The passing game was the strength: 10.0 yards an attempt, 2.7 more than Miami usually allows. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 10 W 38–21 at UConn. The pass defense was the strength: UConn got 7.0 yards an attempt, 1.6 under what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 2.