Where is UNC football headed in the latest bowl projections?

The Tar Heels are projected to face off against a PAC-12 opponent for a second straight year.

Orlando Ramirez/USA Today Sports

North Carolina jumped out to a 9-1 start last season before dropping their final four contests, including a last second defeat to Oregon in the Holiday Bowl.

Now, in what will likely be their final season with quarterback Drake Maye under center, the Tar Heels will look to replicate their early season performance from a year ago.

With fall camp set in sights, teams are preparing for preseason and the media is putting together their predictions for the 2023 season, including bowl projections.

Brad Crawford of 247 Sports released his bowl projections on Tuesday with North Carolina matching up with a PAC-12 opponent for the second consecutive season.

The Tar Heels were picked to face off against Oregon State in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Crawford cites the top-10 status of Clemson and Florida State and the improvement of Miami as a threat to North Carolina returning to the ACC Championship Game and earning a New Year's Six bid.

In 2016, under Larry Fedora, they made their fifth appearance in the Sun Bowl, falling to Stanford, 25-23. The Tar Heels are 2-3 all-time in the bowl game and 1-6 in their last seven bowl games.

With the departure of receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green, the faces of the North Carolina offense may look different, but with Maye at the helm, it is expected to produce impressive numbers once again.

In Gene Chizik's second year back in Chapel Hill, the defense is expected to see improvement, giving hopes that a postseason with more than a Sun Bowl appearance is possible.

Can the Tar Heels replicate their hot start from a year ago and reach 10 wins in 2023?