DTH sports staff predicts how UNC will fare against No. 5 Texas A&M in Orange Bowl

Will No. 13 North Carolina rise to the occasion against No. 5 Texas A&M after four stars opted out of the Orange Bowl, or is a blowout loss on a national stage in store for the Tar Heels? Our sports staff makes its predictions for the outcome of UNC's first major bowl game in 70 years.

Ryan Wilcox, senior writer

Sam Howell’s the top name on the marquee, but here’s a not-so-secret secret about UNC football this season: Javonte Williams and Michael Carter were what made the ride so fun.

“Were,” yes — after combining for 544 rushing yards against Miami earlier this season and solidifying themselves as the best running back tandem in the country, both elected to opt out of the matchup with the Aggies and ready up for the 2021 NFL Draft. That leaves the likes of junior British Brooks and sophomore Josh Henderson to fill some gargantuan argyle-patterned cleats, going up against an SEC defense that allowed less than 100 yards per game on the ground this season. It’s a tall enough order for me to doubt the Tar Heels’ chances.

Additionally: I’m not one to prognosticate on things like “bulletin board material,” but I do know that the Aggies will be kicking off this game “big mad" that they were left out of the College Football Playoff. With UNC at full strength, this would’ve been a fun one; as it stands, I see a motivated Texas A&M winning semi-comfortably.

Jared McMasters, sports editor

Everyone should expect Saturday's Orange Bowl to go down in UNC football history as arguably the biggest "what if?" game in the program's existence.

Despite nearly making the College Football Playoff, the Aggies only opened as a 5.5-point favorite over the Tar Heels. At full strength with the most dominant running back unit in the country, the ACC's best quarterback not named Trevor Lawrence and one of the top linebackers in the nation, North Carolina had a legitimate shot at pulling off the upset to take home the school's first victory in a major bowl game.

Instead, when the Tar Heels inevitably fall to Texas A&M by three-plus touchdowns simply due to the talent gap, UNC fans will be spending the rest of their lives passing the lore of this game's potential down to future generations. Way off in the distance, you can practically already hear the faint whispers of, "If we just had Javonte and Michael, it's a whole different ball game."

Zach Crain, assistant sports editor

With the absence of their All-American running back tandem and two first-team All-ACC, surefire NFL products at linebacker and wide receiver, the Tar Heels are going to lose to the Aggies on Saturday. The only question is by how much. 

This bowl season has already shown what happens when teams take the field with a number of key opt-outs — Florida had four pass-catching weapons opt out of its Cotton Bowl matchup with Oklahoma earlier this week. That game ended in a 55-20 blowout in favor of the Sooners, with Gator quarterback Kyle Trask, a Heisman finalist and national leader in passing yards and touchdowns, throwing three interceptions. 

Really, what is ultimately more important than a win or a loss for the future of this North Carolina program is if the team is able to remain competitive. With all of UNC’s opt-outs being pro-bound after this season, the Orange Bowl will serve as an early peek into what next year’s squad might look like, and a competitive bout with a near Playoff qualifier on national television could establish UNC as a national contender entering head coach Mack Brown’s third year.

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