The release of the preseason AP Poll is the unofficial start to the college football season, and UNC fans will like what they see.

The first poll of the 2021-22 season has the Tar Heels ranked No. 10, their highest preseason ranking since 1997, when they checked in at No. 7. That was Mack Brown’s last year in Chapel Hill before his return for the 2019-20 season.

The Tar Heels will play two other members of the poll during the regular season: No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 14 Miami. NC State also received votes.

You can read the full poll here. UNC was ranked No. 9 in the preseason coaches poll released last week.

The last time the Tar Heels appeared in the top 10 of the AP Poll was the week of October 11, 2020, when Carolina promptly lost on the road to Florida State. The last time the Tar Heels appeared in the AP top 10 and won their next game was January 1, 1998, when No. 7 UNC crushed Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl, 42-3.

Carolina will hope to have similar success against the Hokies this season. Virginia Tech hosts the Tar Heels to open the season on Friday, September 3 at 6 p.m. UNC has not won in Blacksburg since 2015 and have lost six of their last eight there. You can listen to that game and every Tar Heel football game on 97.9 FM and 1360 AM.

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