The forecast is clear and 41 degrees with an 11 mph wind. That's November football weather that favors a team built to run, and Louisville is that team. Neither school has another game before this one, so these are the teams that will play Saturday, November 14. The board has the Cardinals as road favorites.
Syracuse is the common opponent, and it shows the gap. Louisville won 34-26 in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse came to Kenan and beat North Carolina 31-30. The Tar Heels' one bad stretch also tells you something about their defense: in the 2 losses to Syracuse and Miami, they gave up 31 and 38 points at home. A Louisville offense that has scored 34 or more in each of its last 4 games is a bigger test than either of those.
UNC's best way to win this is what it did at UConn. Create turnovers, give Edwards short fields, and keep Louisville's offense on the sideline. If North Carolina has to stop 36 carries straight up for 4 quarters, that's a tough job. If it can get the Cardinals into third-and-long and force a mistake or 2, a team that keeps playing 1-score games has a shot to win one more.
There's plenty at stake for the home side. A win makes North Carolina bowl eligible with games still left, and it gets the Tar Heels back toward .500 in the ACC after a 2-3 start in league play. Louisville is already going to a bowl. For the Cardinals, this is about whether 4 straight blowout-style wins carry over against a Belichick defense that gets a week to prepare for one clear plan of attack.
