College Football Top 25: Spring practice 2016 edition

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Dec 5, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Elijah Hood (34) is pushed out of bounds by Clemson Tigers cornerback Cordrea Tankersley (25) during the second quarter in the ACC football championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /

North Carolina shocked some people in 2015. The Tar Heels were a controversial ACC title game ending away from knocking Clemson out of the College Football Playoff race and maybe even jumping into it themselves.

After opening the 2015 campaign with a tough loss at the hands of mediocre South Carolina, the Tar Heels really turned up the pressure on themselves. North Carolina went on to win 11 games in a row before the ACC Championship loss to the Tigers. The Tar Heels took down Duke, Pittsburgh, Miami and North Carolina State in the process, losing only to Clemson by eight.

Had the Tar Heels opened the year with a win against South Carolina, they would have been a top-four team in the nation heading into the conference title game.

Marquise Williams departs from the program after putting together a nice four-year career and Mitch Trubisky looks to take over the starting role. The sophomore quarterback was impressive in his limited time last season, completing 40-of-47 passes for 555 yards and six touchdowns. Now that’s accuracy.

Leading rusher Elijah Hood returns after putting up 1,463 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore. Don’t sleep on the young running back in the Heisman race this season, either. The team’s top two receivers, Ryan Switzer and Mack Hollins. will also be back as seniors to help Trubisky.

North Carolina compiled the 23rd-best 2016 recruiting class with 26 pledges, highlighted by four-star tight end Garrett Walston and four-star guard Jay-Jay McCargo, according to Scout.com.

Next: 21. Oklahoma State Cowboys

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