It’s football season! The first game that kicks this season off will be played in Dublin, Ireland. The will be a yearly rivalry between the ACC and Big 12 conferences played outside of the country. That leaves one thing I could say, “Why!” Why would we start the football college football season across the pond? Well, I could give you a textbook answer, but what does it really mean? College football is taking a page from the NFL building relationships around the world. Now let’s get down to business. Both teams are led by high caliber coaches. Can the Horned Frogs head man Sonny Dykes outwit the defensive mastermind of the Tar Heels Bill Belichick? Last season the Tar Heels finished the season with a 4-8 record and will be looking for a fresh start by beating the Horned Frogs Saturday morning. The Horned Frogs finished last season at 9-4 and beat #16 USC 30-27 in the Alamo Bowl. This will be a competitive game from start to finish.
Game Info
Aer Lingus College Football Classic
UNC Tar Heels (0-0) vs TCU Horned Frogs (0-0)
Saturday – August 29 – 11:00 a.m.
TV: ESPN
Aviva Stadium – Dublin, Ireland
UNC Tar Heels (0-0) ACC Conference
North Carolina struggled last season without a clear-cut starting quarterback to lead the offense. Transfer quarterback Billy Edwards, Jr. will start for the Tar Heels this Saturday. Keep an eye on running backs: Benjamin Hall and Kaleb Jackson. On defense players to watch: DL Tarvorise Brown, Zavion Griffin-Hayes, LB Johnathan Agumadu, DB Jermaine Anderson, DB Caleb Cost and DB Tre Miller. They are a better team with the new faces and transfers on the team.
TCU Horned Frogs (0-0) Big 12 Conference
Last season TCU started off pretty shaky but found their footing after Week 5. Sonny Dykes’ team will always find a way to get on track after close losses. Last season, the Horned Frogs had the conference in the palm of their hand but dropped 2 very winnable games. This season, TCU will start senior transfer quarterback Jaden Craig under center. He is 6’3, 255 pounds with a rocket arm. Players to watch: RB Jeremy Payne, RB Joe Denman, WR Jordan Dwyer, WR Ed Small, DL Paul Oyewale and DT Markis Deal.
Prediction
This is the first game of the season and both teams need the win. This will be a close contest. Keep in mind that the players juices will be flowing with excitement. The team that is able to harness this with minimal mental mistakes will get the win. ESPN has the Horned Frogs with a 51.5% chance of winning on the road. The point spread is TCU by 7.5. I’m taking the Horned Frogs by 8!
Final Score:
Horned Frogs – 32
Tar Heels – 24
