The 2024 college football season is here, as North Carolina opens on the road Thursday night at Minnesota for an 8 PM EST kickoff.

The Tar Heels are coming off an 8-5 season that included a 31-13 win over the Golden Gophers last September, but that game was played in Chapel Hill. Minnesota was 6-7 finishing fourth in the Big Ten West Division with a 3-6 league mark.

Only five other Big Ten teams return more than the 14 starters that are back for the Gophers, which includes five on defense and nine on offense. Yet, they return 74% of their defensive production, which ranks 17th nationally.

With that, here are 5 Keys for UNC to defeat Minnesota: