Virginia (1-5, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) at No. 10 North Carolina (6-0, 3-0), Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (The CW)
Line: North Carolina by 23 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: The teams differ. UNC reports it leads 66-57-4, while Virginia lists UNC with a 65-58-4 record.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The Tar Heels are looking to extend their best start in 26 years by remaining unbeaten, which has them in strong contention to reach the ACC title game. The Cavaliers are emerging from an open week just trying to find something positive considering they've lost eight of nine ACC games as of Year 2 under Tony Elliott.
KEY MATCHUP
UNC's defense against Virginia's offense. The Tar Heels are clearly an improved unit in their second season under coordinator Gene Chizik. That included a dominating third-quarter performance that held Miami to 32 total yards with two takeaways last weekend. That unit has plenty of margin for error with the cover provided by quarterback Drake Maye and a high-powered offense, but UNC ranks in the middle third of the league in scoring defense (21.0) and total defense (359.2). As for the Cavaliers, they're last in the ACC in scoring offense (22.3) and 12th in total offense (348.8).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Virginia: WR Malik Washington. He leads the ACC with 668 yards receiving to go with five touchdowns, with his 111.3-yard average ranking eighth in the Bowl Subdivision.
UNC: WR Devontez “Tez” Walker. He had three touchdown catches in last week's Miami game, showcasing the game-breaking downfield element he adds to the UNC offense. That big performance came in his first start with UNC after a long eligibility battle with the NCAA after his transfer from Kent State, so he's fully integrated into Chip Lindsey's attack now.
FACTS & FIGURES
Virginia earned its first win of the season in its last outing, beating William & Mary on Oct. 7. That was the second of Virginia’s four overall wins under Elliott that have come against Coastal Athletic Association teams from the Championship Subdivision. ... The Tar Heels are off to their best start since winning the first eight games in 1997, which was Mack Brown's final season of his first coaching tenure before going to Texas. ... ... UNC has yet to allow a first-quarter point through four home games. ... The Tar Heels are eighth nationally by converting 52.7% of their third downs. ... This is the first time UNC has opened ACC play with three straight games of 40-plus points. It is also only the first time that UNC has opened a season with six straight games of at least 30 points since 1914. ... Virginia had won four straight meetings from 2017-20 before UNC won in each of the last two seasons. ... After throwing four interceptions in his first three games, Maye has thrown eight touchdown passes with no interceptions to go with two rushing scores in three ACC games.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
