The North Carolina football team is headed to El Paso, Texas.
UNC (8-4, 5-3 ACC) will face Stanford (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Friday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. The selection was announced Sunday.
After winning five of their first six conference games — and threatening for a top-15 ranking nationally — the Tar Heels fell to Duke and N.C. State to slip out of ACC title contention.
Contrarily, the Cardinal won its final five games after dropping three games early to eventual conference powers: No. 4 Washington, No. 11 Colorado and Washington State, a team on the fringe of the top 25.
Despite a potent offensive attack, UNC allowed over 225 yards rushing in both losses and couldn't overcome its abysmal run defense. That could pose a problem against Stanford, which averages 215.6 rushing yards per game.
The Cardinal is led by dynamic running back Christian McCaffrey, a first-team All-Pac-12 honoree who won the AP Player of the Year in 2015 after setting the NCAA single-season all-purpose yardage record (3,864). This season, the junior ranks fourth in rushing yards per game (145.7) and ran for a school-record 284 yards and three touchdowns against California two weeks ago.
The Sun Bowl will be the final game for North Carolina's senior star Ryan Switzer, the Tar Heels' career and single-season leader in receptions. It will also be the final contest for seniors T.J. Logan, Bug Howard and Des Lawrence.
It could be the final outing for redshirt junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a projected first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft. He'll be challenged by the Stanford secondary, which ranks in the top 25 in passing efficiency defense.
