The North Carolina Tar Heels can't be thinking about a bowl game quite yet, but an upset over No. 1 Miami would certainly do the trick.

UNC has a ranked win this season, but it was against a now 5-3 Pittsburgh team that was only in the AP Top 25 for a cup of coffee.

Head coach Bill Belichick was able to snap their 5-0 start, and that quickly turned into three consecutive losses for the Panthers, with Boston College and Miami to follow.

Keep in mind, the Hurricanes just crushed Pittsburgh, 52-23, so that certainly has to mean something, as UNC was only able to beat them by four points.

The common opponent theme can only go so far, but it's at least worth noting that ESPN's Mark Schlabach has been impressed enough with UNC to put them into the bowl game conversation.

The last thing UNC wants to do is be in a bowl game that has the word "Duke" in the name, but at this point they'll have to take what they can get.

It's not like they necessarily have to beat the Hurricanes to get into a bowl game, but a win over the No. 1 team in the nation would, in theory, allow them to move up the ranks a bit.

That said, this bowl game is played at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, so it could be exactly what this Belichick-led UNC team needs to keep getting fans on their side.

Trying to keep fans interested through a rebuild is incredibly hard, and while it seemed like things were on the rise for UNC, they dropped an unthinkable overtime game against Syracuse. 

It remains unknown if that loss will change the course of their season, but sitting at 4-3, a .500 record is staring Belichick in the face if Miami comes to town and takes care of business.

Seeing ESPN project UNC to get to a bowl is great, but they still have to take care of business on the field.

One could say their game at UConn to open November is a lock to win, but absolutely nothing is guaranteed with this football program.

Then, they'll host Louisville, go to Virginia, and NC State comes to town to end the year.

All of those teams are hovering around .500, so those wins aren't a lock either, but they're far more favorable than having to play Miami four weeks in a row.