Facts about the Opposition: North Carolina

North Carolina Tar Heels

Game Information - November 15, 2014. Kenan Memorial Stadium. Game Time: TBA

Location - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Enrollment - 29,390 (18, 579 undergraduates; 10, 811 postgraduates)

Stadium - Kenan Memorial Stadium 62, 980 capacity

Notable Alumni - Andy Griffith, actor; Jame K. Polk, 11th president of the United States; Michael Jordan, Hall of Fame basketball player.

Conference Affiliation - ACC (1953-present)

Head Coach - Larry Fedora (15-10 in 2 seasons at UNC; 49-29 overall)

Series History - North Carolina leads the series 5-3 (UNC won 34-27 in 2013)

SB Nation site - Tar Heel Blog and their Twitter.

There was a buzz heading into last year's Pitt-North Carolina game. Pitt had just won in dramatic fashion over Notre Dame the week prior, and many felt the team had finally turned the corner, but the Tar Heels had other ideas. North Carolina raced out to a 24-3 halftime lead, and nearly took all of the life out of the stadium. Pitt responded with a barrage of points in the fourth quarter to bring the game all the way back to a 27 all tie, but the Panthers ultimately dropped the game 34-27 after allowing Ryan Switzer's second punt return of the game. It proved to be one of the more exciting games in the ACC last season, and with teams having identical 7-6 records and playing such a competitive game, it could make the 2014 edition just as good.

Many already know that the ACC Coastal Division is very wide open, but Larry Fedora has already turned his team into a contender to win the section. The Tar Heels had a two quarterback look in 2013, but seemed to find some consistency with Marquise Williams running the show late in the year. Williams had a modest game against Pitt, but gave the Panthers some problems with his scrambling. T.J. Logan had a respectable year as a freshmen tailback, but will need to have a better showing this year. UNC lost Eric Ebron to the NFL, but Quinshad Davis should be the go-to-guy after posting good numbers in 2013. The offense will probably give more touches to the ever dangerous special teams demon, Ryan Switzer.

The 2014 Pitt-North Carolina game comes at a pivotal time of the year. The game precedes the UNC-Duke game, and that could be a good sign for the Panthers if the Tar Heels look ahead at all. As we saw last year, the teams had the same record and played in a game that came down to the wire. Despite the similarities, the preseason pundits seem to like North Carolina a little more than Pitt. However it shakes out, this will be a late season sectional game with plenty on the line.

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