College GameDay analyst makes shocking pick for ACC Football Champion
The UNC football squad upset TCU to begin its 2026 campaign. On College GameDay, a popular analyst picked UNC as his ACC Champion.
In the recent Week 1 of college football, North Carolina Tar Heels secured a bye week amidst a mix of unexpected results and off-field events. UNC defeated TCU in Ireland during Week Zero, emerging victorious with a score of 15-10. Despite their low point total, North Carolina's performance under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was impressive, with numerous big plays and effective ball movement.
On College GameDay, ESPN analyst Pat McAfee made a surprising prediction, selecting the Tar Heels to win the ACC Championship. This stance is particularly notable since UNC hasn't won the ACC title since 1980, when Amos Lawrence was a running back. Fellow College GameDay regulars Desmond Howard and Nick Saban both picked Miami (FL) as the conference champion, as did country music star Lainey Wilson.
North Carolina welcomes ETSU for their home opener on September 12, before facing Clemson on September 19. Following a bye week, they host Notre Dame in a non-conference game, then play ACC matches against Pitt, Duke, Syracuse, Miami (FL), UConn, Louisville, Virginia, and conclude with a home game against NC State. Pat McAfee has confidently predicted Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels to secure the ACC title.
While the Tar Heels' international upset of TCU is a strong start, a win in Death Valley would greatly improve their chances of winning the ACC Championship.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
