Georgia Tech is Carolina’s new biggest game of the season.

I am going out on a limb here and say that the Tar Heels will lose to top-ranked and undefeated Clemson Saturday in Kenan Stadium, although keeping it close and avoiding more injuries will be moral victories of sorts for Mack Brown’s thin and banged-up squad. Let’s say UNC goes down to Georgia Tech the following week with a 2-3 record. The Yellow Jackets are breaking in a new coach and new offense and play at tough Temple this week after being idle last Saturday. The Ramblin’ Wreck was bombed 52-14 by Clemson on opening night, beat South Florida and lost to The Citadel.

So, clearly, that is a winnable game for the Tar Heels, and finishing the first half of the season at 3-3 might be much better than Brown admittedly expected. He says his goal is to win every game, but he’s been more candid about his true expectations after winning the first two games he thought Carolina would lose and losing the next two he thought his team would win.

After Georgia Tech comes the open week for the Heels, which they will need to get some players back from the injury list and begin preparing for the second half of the season. On paper, at least, the last six games look more manageable than the first five, which is why beating Georgia Tech looms so large.

Carolina resumes play on October 19 at Virginia Tech, then returns home to play Duke after 28 days away from Kenan Stadium and then Virginia the next week. The Hokies aren’t the Hokies of old in Blacksburg and while the Blue Devils and Cavaliers may be good, they are certainly beatable before capacity crowds in Chapel Hill.

The toughest game of the back side looks like a Thursday night ESPN clash at Pitt, which lost all six games against Larry Fedora’s Tar Heels. And after the Panthers’ last-second upset of No. 22 Central Florida, they appear at lot strong than in recent years. So let’s call that one an “L” although it is certain to be a contest.

A home game to Mercer should be a “W” for Carolina, so where does it find those six wins to make a bowl in Brown’s return? Beating Duke and Virginia at home, plus Mercer, could  get it done before going to N.C. State for the regular-season finale on Thanksgiving Saturday.

Having a bowl bid secured by then would be a lot easier if the Tar Heels finish the first half 3-3. Thus, it all starts with Georgia Tech.

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