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Notre Dame vs. North Carolina: Game Preview With TV Schedule

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Starting the season 5-0 and jumping all the way to No. 6 in the latest AP rankings, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are on the right path to making their second national title run in three years. The Fighting Irish still have a few tough games left on their schedule, but this could be the year they finally prove the doubters wrong.

After starting the season 2-0 and getting to No. 21 in the rankings, the North Carolina Tar Heels have lost three straight games and have dropped completely out of conference title contention. The Tar Heels are one of the biggest disappointments in college football this year and it’s the second straight year they were expected to do well and completely folded early in the year.

Everett Golson has been a changed quarterback for the Irish this season as he has been somewhat resurgent after missing the entire 2013 season due to a suspension. Golson has learned from his mistakes to become one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. The senior has passed for 1,383 yards and 13 touchdowns with just three interceptions while completing 64 percent of his passes; he has done all of this without the top returning receiver from a season ago. The gunslinger has been solid in the run game as well, rushing for 138 yards and four scores on the ground. William Fuller has been the top receiver on the team, catching 28 passes for 371 yards and five touchdowns while Corey Robinson is the next closest wide out with 17 catches for 236 yards and two scores. Greg Bryant leads the 80th-ranked rushing attack with 188 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries.

North Carolina has encountered some serious offensive problems in the past few games and that has led to a three-game win drought. Junior quarterback Marquise Williams was expected to do big things for the Tar Heels this season in his first full year as the team’s No. 1 quarterback. Williams has passed for 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with four interceptions this year, completing just 61 percent of his passes. The dual-threat also leads the team in rushing with 243 yards and two scores on 4.3 yards per carry. Ryan Switzer has been Williams’ favorite target, catching a team-high 24 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown while Mack Hollins leads the team in receiving yards, 305, to go along with three touchdowns on 15 catches. Behind Williams in the run game, Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan are No. 2 and No. 3, combining for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, the Tar Heels have been one of the least successful units in the entire nation. North Carolina ranks a lowly 124th in the nation in points allowed per game while also ranking 20th in total yards allowed per game. Notre Dame has been much more solid on this side of the ball in 2014, ranking third nationally in points allowed per game while also ranking 21st nationally in total points allowed with just over 315 per contest.

North Carolina will travel to Notre Dame to take on the Fighting Irish at 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Oct. 11. The game will be broadcasted on NBC.

PREDICTION: North Carolina 21, Notre Dame 34

Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].

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Phantom Offsides Penalty Costs North Carolina

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All season long, we’ve been hearing about how bad the officiating has been in the NFL. On Saturday night, we saw how much damage bad calls can do in college football as well.

During the ACC title game, the North Carolina Tar Heels were making one final push to steal the crown from the Clemson Tigers. After scoring a quick touchdown in the waning minutes of the game, the Tar Heels lined up for an onside kick — and recovered it after a few Tigers mishandled the ball. However, a flag came flying in for an offsides penalty. The only problem was that no Tar Heel was offsides.

Just look for yourself:

Am I missing something, or were there zero Tar Heels offsides on that play?

The closest player was still about two yards from the line. Obviously a recovery wouldn’t have guaranteed a North Carolina touchdown, but it certainly kept them from getting the opportunity they earned.

The Tigers recovered the next onside kick, and ran out the clock, securing the ACC crown and a spot in the 2015 College Football Playoff.

The ACC title came down to a phantom offsides call that cost North Carolina big.

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