UNC Football Mailbag: Tar Heels Entering Significant Week 9 Matchup

The North Carolina Tar Heels are heading into a nightmare matchup against the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday night.

This game is even more daunting for the Tar Heels, considering they suffered a colossal defeat to Syracuse this past weekend. Assuming North Carolina falls to the No. 1-ranked Hurricanes this weekend, it will suddenly be sitting at .500 entering the final third of the season. With all of that in mind, here are questions surrounding the Tar Heels ahead of Week 9.

With a Loss, Would UNC Looked Primed To Miss Postseason Play?

We alluded to this a second ago, but if the Tar Heels were to lose on Halloween, which is likely, they would be 4-4 with four games remaining. In the hypothetical, North Carolina would have to go 2-2 during that stretch to qualify for bowl eligibility.

Oct 24, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels tight end Jordan Washington (80) misses a catch in the during the third quarter against Syracuse Orange at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That's why failing to close out the games they should have won - Clemson and Syracuse - could be catastrophic for the Tar Heels. Even winning one of those games would have put North Carolina in a strong position to earn a bowl game bid. After Miami, North Carolina's final four games feature UCONN, Louisville, Virginia, and North Carolina State.

Is it Inevitable that Billy Edwards Jr. Will Be Benched in Near Future?

You can make a compelling argument that the Tar Heels should be 6-1. However, Edwards Jr. has cost North Carolina two wins this season, with poor performances in those contests. Watching the six-year quarterback makes you think you're in Déjá Vu, as it's the same thing every week. Throughout this season, Edwards Jr. has been stellar in the first quarter, and then his production, efficiency, and effectiveness fall off a cliff.

For context, in the first quarter this season, Edwards Jr. has completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 524 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions, while averaging 9.2 yards per attempt. In the final three quarters, the Wisconsin transfer has completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 983 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions, while averaging 7.0 yards per attempt.

Oct 24, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) makes calls during the second quarter against Syracuse Orange at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's been a common theme this season and the catalyst for the offense's ineptitude for drawn-out stretches in these games. Those scoring droughts and inability to manufacture any sign of life offensively have been major factors in the Tar Heels' squandering leads and failing to close out games.

This is similar to when the Tar Heels entered their Week 4 matchup against Notre Dame, and everyone said it was too soon to make a quarterback change, as moving on from Edwards Jr. after that game was viewed as premature. However, we're seven weeks through the season, and his struggles haven’t improved. There have been no signs of improvement. Edwards Jr. may need to throw the ball 35-40 times against Miami; that's disastrous. The more you put on his plate, the more likely he is to self-destruct.

The odds are that Edwards Jr. struggles, and North Carolina loses. In that scenario, the Tar Heels' coaching staff needs to consider switching to Miles O'Neill sooner rather than later.

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