WHO: North Carolina (6-6) vs. Temple (8-4)
WHAT: The 11th Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman
WHEN: Noon ET on ESPN
WHERE: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
THE SKINNY: At long last, North Carolina and Temple will meet on the field. It took decades for the Tar Heels and Owls to collide, and they’ll finally do so for the first time in the all-important time slot of noon Eastern on a Friday.
North Carolina won a win-or-stay-home game over NC State to reach this matchup, and expect the Heels to be fired up after losing nine games each of the past two seasons. UNC is led by freshman quarterback Sam Howell, who checked in at No. 28 nationally in passing efficiency in the Tar Heels’ six wins and No. 5 in their six losses, where he fired 19 touchdown passes against just three picks. Nine of North Carolina’s first 10 games were decided by one score.
Temple largely feasted on the worst teams on its schedule and struggled against the best, save for the win over Memphis in October. Quarterback Anthony Russo leads the attack with 2,733 passing yards and 21 touchdowns.
Though they’ve never met on the field and (obviously) compete in different conferences, the teams share one common opponent: Georgia Tech. Temple scored a 24-2 win on Sept. 28, while UNC posted a 38-22 victory a week later. If only the Yellow Jackets knew then the history they helped create.
THE PICK: North Carolina 34, Temple 24