Published Nov 4, 2022
UNC’s History With 7-1 Starts
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Andrew Jones  •  TarHeelIllustrated
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In the 131 seasons in which the University of North Carolina has fielded a football team, 19 times its clubs have started seasons with a 7-1 record, with the current edition the most recent.

Mack Brown’s Tar Heels are 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC, they are also ranked No. 17 by the Associated Press, and this is the 19th time a Carolina team has won at least seven of its first eight games.

Remarkably, this is just the second time it has happened this century, and second time since Brown’s last season at UNC during his first stint in Chapel Hill.

So, how have the previous 18 Carolina teams that started at least 7-1 end up doing? We have the full list below:

Note: Starting record followed by final record and any postseason.

Also note: AP rankings did not start until 1938 & only a few bowl games existed until for decades, and fewer than 10 by the late 1960s, and only 15 by 1980.


1895 – 7-0-1 /// 7-1-1

1898 – 7-0 /// 9-0

1901 – 7-1 /// 7-2

1914 – 7-0 /// 10-1

1922 – 7-1 /// 9-1

1925 – 7-1 /// 7-1-1

1929 – 7-1 /// 9-1

1935 – 7-1 /// 8-1

1939 – 7-0-1 /// 8-1-1

1948 – 7-0-1 /// 9-1-1 /// L Sugar Bowl (Georgia) /// No. 3

1972 – 7-1 /// 11-1 /// W Sun Bowl (Tex Tech) /// No. 12

1980 – 7-1 /// 11-1 /// W Bluebonnet Bowl (Texas) /// No. 10

1981 – 7-1 /// 10-2 /// W Gator Bowl (Arkansas) /// No. 9

1983 – 7-1 /// 8-4 /// L Peach Bowl (FSU) /// NR

1993 – 7-1 /// 10-3 /// L Gator Bowl (Alabama) /// No. 19

1996 – 7-1 /// 10-2 /// W Gator Bowl (W. VA) /// No. 10

1997 – 7-0 /// 11-1 /// W Gator Bowl (Va Tech) /// No. 6

2015 – 7-1 /// 11-3 /// L Russell Athletic Bowl (Baylor) /// No. 15

2022 – 7-1 /// ???