North Carolina Tar Heels 2009 College Football Predictions: In just his second season, North Carolina’s Butch Davis guided the Tar Heels to their most wins since 2001, posting an 8-5 overall record, 4-4 in the ACC, tying for 3rd in the Coastal Division and earning a berth in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The Tar Heels came within a whisker of going to the ACC Championship Game, dropping late contests to Maryland and NC State. As good as the year was, it came close to being much better as four of North Carolina's five losses were by three or fewer points including losses to Virginia Tech (20-17),Virginia in overtime (16-13), Boston College (17-15) and West Virginia (31-30). Expectations are at an all time high at Chapel Hill for the 2009 Tar Heels. In a pre-season poll, media pundits who cover ACC-Football have predicted a third place Coastal Division finish.

Oddsmakers at online Sportsbook Bodog.com list the Tar Heels as 3-to-1 odds favorites to win the ACC Coastal Division and 5-to-1 odds favorites to win the 2009 ACC Championship. North Carolina's odds of winning the 2010 BCS National Championship is listed at 80-to-1.

Davis welcomes back 16 starters including nine on defense led by six of the starting seven up front in ends E.J. Wilson and Robert Quinn, tackles Marvin Austin and Cam Thomas and linebackers Quan Sturdivant and Bruce Carter. Three starters also return to the secondary with corners Kendric Burney and Jordan Hemby and free safety Deunta Williams, the 2007 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, returning.

Offensively, only six starters return, but three of them, tackle Kyle Jolly, guard Alan Pelc and center Lowell Dyer are on the offensive line. Quarterback T.J. Yates also returns to his third season as the triggerman to North Carolina’s offense. In a season and a half, he has completed 60 percent of his passes for an efficiency rating of 131.56 and 25 touchdowns.Junior running back Shaun Draughn who ranked 6th in the ACC in rushing (866 yds), fullback Bobby Rome, and running back Ryan Houston, a short-yardage threat (8 TDs), provide an efficient running game. Place Kicker Casey Barth returns for his second season after making 10 of 15 FGs last year.