However, West Virginia's selection made it a matchup of teams from the ACC and the Big 12 Conference.
This was the third all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Tar Heels; the teams had a 1–1 record in prior games.
The Tar Heels played two ranked opponents, recording a victory over then-No.
Sophomore running back Omarion Hampton ran for 1,442 yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season, becoming a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.
They played two ranked opponents, losing both games—they lost their season opener to No.