College football’s opening weekend of games promises to be an entertaining affair. There are a number of marquee matchups, including No. 18 Georgia’s showdown against No. 22 North Carolina on Saturday in the Georgia Dome.

Because the Tar Heels play in the ACC, there is certainly an amount of unfamiliarity for Bulldogs fans. North Carolina is certainly capable of making a run in conference play this season, and could have an outside shot at a College Football Playoff berth.

We caught up with Andrew Carter, the UNC beat writer for The News & Observer, to find out some information that the Georgia faithful need to know before the two team’s kickoff on Saturday. For those who are interested in hearing more about the Tar Heels leading up to the game, give Andrew a follow on Twitter @_andrewcarter.

SDS: UNC has new starting QB, Mitch Trubisky. What are his strengths? How will the offense change?

Carter: The offense isn’t likely to change very much but Trubisky is considered a more capable passer than his predecessor, Marquise Williams, and so it will likely become more passing-oriented in some way.

Nov 7, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) looks to pass as Duke Blue Devils defensive end Deion Williams (48) defends in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 66-31 at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

My guess is that UNC relies more on shorter and intermediate throws and that it features more of a precision passing game – one built on quick-hit throws in which the timing and location of a pass are more critical.

Williams at times had problems with accuracy, and accuracy is among Trubisky’s greatest strengths, at least judging from a relatively small sample size of playing time and what we’ve heard from people who have seen him practice day in and day out for the past three years.

SDS: UNC has obvious rush defense concerns. Has Gene Chizik solved them?

Carter: That’s the greatest question facing this team. My answer, right now: I don’t know. I don’t think we can automatically assume that UNC will be better against the run, though certainly that assumption exists. The potential is there.

Jalen Dalton and Naz Jones are UNC’s two best interior defensive linemen. They had been both at the same position, but Chizik made the wise move to separate them so they could play alongside each other. That will help. Another year of maturity, overall, for the other defensive linemen should help. But the Tar Heels are also replacing two seniors at linebacker, and there are questions at that position.

All this to say: It’s too early to say whether UNC has solved the problems that plagued the run defense last season. A strong performance against Georgia would go a long way toward answering that question. More struggles and those questions continue to persist.

SDS: How much will offense revolve around Elijah Hood this year? Will he be the best RB on the field?

Carter: Hood belongs in the “best running back in the country” conversation. Not saying he is the best, definitively, but he’s in the top tier, along with guys like Dalvin Cook and Leonard Fournette and, yes, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

Will Hood be the best running back on the field? A good question.

A case can be made that he will be, given the unknowns surrounding Chubb and Michel after their injuries. Hood will play a marquee role in the offense, but UNC doesn’t lack for talent at the skill positions. T.J. Logan is another running back who would start at most schools. He’ll play a prominent role. The receiving corps is deep. So as good as Hood is, the expectation is for him to have a lot of help.

SDS: The ACC has struggled in these opening games against SEC. Are the Tar Heels talking about that?

Carter: Not really. I think people like you and me talk about it a lot more than the players. Obviously, a lot of them are aware of it. Anyone who played at UNC last season remembers the debacle against South Carolina at the start of last season.

Beyond that, though, I don’t think the conference’s opening game struggles against the SEC is something UNC players spend any time thinking about. UNC wants to win this because it’d be a great win against a marquee opponent; not so much because it might help the ACC’s perception.

SDS: Among players Georgia fans might not know about, which Tar Heel will have the biggest impact Saturday?

Carter: The most perspicacious of Georgia fans, those who have spent some time studying UNC, are probably aware of guys like Mitch Trubisky, Elijah Hood and Ryan Switzer. I’ll give one player on offense and one on defense.

On offense: Mack Hollins. He’ll only play in the second half because of a targeting penalty he committed in the bowl game, but he can influence the outcome during that one half. He’s among the best deep receiving threats in the country and led the nation in yards per catch last season.

Defensively, I’ll say M.J. Stewart. He’s a guy opposing fans should know but he might get lost in the shuffle a bit. He’s among the best cornerbacks in the ACC and forms one-half – Des Lawrence is the other – of what’s probably the best cornerback duo in the ACC.

SDS: Do think the defense would rather see true freshman Jacob Eason start at QB for UGA?

Carter: I’m not sure UNC has a preference, really. Eason is such a highly-rated prospect. I read somewhere that some consider him Georgia’s best incoming freshman since Herschel Walker. High, high praise, obviously.

The strength of UNC’s defense is in the secondary, though, and UNC would be confident about facing any quarterback – its defensive backs, for instance, welcomed the chance to go against Clemson’s Deshaun Watson last year in the ACC championship game.

If Eason starting makes Georgia more reliant on the running game than it would have been otherwise, then that might work against UNC. Either way, though, stopping the run will be the defense’s primary focus and concern.

SDS: What is your prediction for this game?

Carter: Two and a half Chick-fil-A sandwiches per press box member. I’m pretty confident about that. I’m not confident on any kind of score prediction but, if you’re making me, I’ll say UNC wins a close one, something like 34-31, maybe, but a Georgia win wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

It’ll be practically a home game for Georgia, UNC has some defensive questions, etc. If the Tar Heels are clicking on offense, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be, I think they win.

William McFadden covers the University of Georgia for Saturday Down South. For news on everything happening between the hedges, follow him on Twitter @willmcfadden.