Sure, there may be 109 days before college football season begins–but it’s never too early to get excited about it.

It was announced Tuesday morning that the Tar Heels’ battle with Georgia in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 3rd is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

So go ahead, start making tailgate plans. Plenty of storylines will be present in the Georgia Dome that night.

Junior Mitch Trubisky will make his debut as UNC’s starting quarterback while trying to pick up a signature victory for head coach Larry Fedora.

UNC and Georgia have met on 30 previous occasions--with the Bulldogs holding a 16-12-2 advantage. The 2016 meeting will be the first between the teams in 44 years. (UNC Athletics)

UNC and Georgia have met on 30 previous occasions–with the Bulldogs holding a 16-12-2 advantage. The 2016 meeting will be the first between the teams in 44 years. (UNC Athletics)

Defensively, the Tar Heels had the most improved defense in the nation under first-year coordinator Gene Chizik–but struggled to contain the running game as the season came to a close.

After losing a number of key leaders on defense, it’ll be interesting to see how Chizik chooses to try and stop Georgia’s star tailback, Nick Chubb.

Chubb will likely be making his return from a severe knee injury that ended his season in 2015.

Off the field, former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will be getting his first shot as Georgia’s head coach.

And last, but not least, the Tar Heels will also be looking to build up quality wins in the non-conference portion of its schedule.

Last season, UNC lost its opener to South Carolina–one of Georgia’s SEC rivals–while also playing North Carolina A&T and Delaware, two Football Championship Subdivision schools.

Despite winning 11 games in a row on the way to the ACC Coastal Division championship, many national analysts felt that the Tar Heels’ poor strength of schedule kept them out of consideration for the four-team college football playoff.

UNC will again play two FCS opponents–James Madison and The Citadel–in 2016, which makes defeating Georgia in the opener that much more important if the Tar Heels want to improve upon last season’s successes.

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