Just one win shy of bowl eligibility, the North Carolina Tar Heels can taste their first postseason game under head coach Bill Belichick.

The question is, can they pull off a huge win on Saturday, Nov. 14, against a red-hot Louisville squad?

The Cardinals are 6-3 overall, having won four straight after starting the year just 2-3.

Louisville clinched bowl eligibility after a dominant 33-17 win at Georgia Tech, but they're hoping for much more as they currently sit at 5-2 in conference play.

A win over UNC would get them one step closer to the final conference championship game, but the Tar Heels aren't about to let that happen at Kenan Stadium.

Should Belichick's squad emerge victorious, it would mark the first time since the 2024 season that this team became bowl eligible.

UNC could return to Wasabi Fenway Bowl

On Dec. 28, 2024, UNC fell to UConn, 27-14, in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl. According to ESPN's Kyle Bonagura, that seems to be the destination for this team.

Bonagura has them playing East Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 26, at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

For reference, East Carolina is 5-4 with matchups against Charlotte, Army, and Florida Atlantic still on the schedule.

The Pirates are 3-2 in the American Conference, but they are almost a lock to make a bowl game as this weekend they're set to play the 1-8 49ers.

After that, they head to 5-4 Army and host 6-3 Florida Atlantic in the season finale.

North Carolina's other bowl game projection

Finally, both ESPN analysts believe UNC will make a bowl game, but Mark Schlabach isn't on the same page as Bonagura.

Putting UNC back in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl feels like the easy way out, but it's not like this team is deserving of a super prestigious bowl game if they only end the year with six wins.

After the Louisville game, UNC heads to 4-5 Virginia before hosting 4-5 NC State in the regular season finale.

Schlabach predicts UNC will play UTSA in the Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl on Monday, Dec. 28.

That game takes place at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

UTSA is already bowl-eligible as the Roadrunners carry a 7-2 record into their final three games against North Texas, UAB, and Tulsa.

They'll host 7-2 North Texas this weekend before playing at 5-4 UAB, and then finish the regular season with a home game against 5-4 Tulsa.