We've officially made it to August – and if you're a college sports fanatic like myself, you know very well what August means.

August means the start of college football. All the winter, spring and summer workouts will finally pay off. Fans get to see their favorite players, new guys rise up the depth chart and become faces of the sport, we all get to make unrealistic hopes of winning the National Championship (unless you're Alabama, Georgia or Michigan) and – after a long, hard work week, Saturdays are spent on the couch.

On Thursday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. ET at Minnesota, our North Carolina Tar Heels begin their quest for a much-improved season with a new-look roster. UNC's 2023 campaign mirrored 2022 – a hot start and high ranking – only for a late-season collapse to de-rail their chances at a better bowl game.

North Carolina made a major coaching change in the offseason, getting rid of former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, who – despite winning the 2010 National Championship – was a horrible offensive coordinator. The Tar Heels replaced him with former Georgia Tech head coach (2019-2022) Geoff Collins, who despite struggling as head coach, has a track record with leading strong defenses.

UNC will have a new starting quarterback for the first time since 2022, as Duke's Mayo Bowl starter Conner Harrell and Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson compete for the gig. J.J. Jones slots into North Carolina's top wide receiver spot, occupied the previous two season by Devontez Walker and Josh Downs (both now in the NFL).

With so many storylines in Chapel Hill ahead of the season-opener, what are the Top Five we should be looking at?

Who's going to be the starting quarterback?

If there's ever been a quarterback competition you should pay attention to this month, look no further than the one within the UNC football roster.

Conner Harrell knows the North Carolina football program better. He's only entering his sophomore campaign, but has been in the program for two seasons already.

As we mentioned previously, Harrell started the Duke's Mayo Bowl against West Virginia last December, completing 18-of-27 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Harrell shined much more against Campbell last November, going a perfect 4-for-4 with 71 yards and a passing touchdown, while adding 61 rushing yards and another score.

Johnson has far more starting experience, though – and all of that is against SEC competition. Johnson spent the first two years of his career at LSU, starting 14 out of his 18 games with the Tigers, including the entire 2021 season. Johnson then started eight of 12 games in College Station.

Johnson's career totals include 5,853 passing yards, 47 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. Harrell has just 270 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Can the Tar Heels finish strong?

Until UNC can put together a complete season, it will never be viewed as a legitimate football school.

North Carolina fooled us once again last year, starting 6-0 and ranking as high as tenth. This put the Tar Heels on the edge of College Football Playoff consideration, which – if UNC had made the CFP – would be the greatest thing to happen in program history.

North Carolina's undefeated season ended at home against then-1-win UVA in October. The Tar Heels lost at Georgia Tech the following week, proving that Atlanta's famed college is UNC's kryptonite.

North Carolina responded from its 2-game losing streak with consecutive wins against Campbell and archrival Duke, then proceeded with consecutive losses to Clemson, in-state rival NC State and West Virginia.

With a significantly-easier schedule that includes home games against FCS power North Carolina Central and Conference USA bottom-dweller Charlotte, here's to hoping the Tar Heels can actually piece together a more consistent 2024 campaign.

How will the defense look under Geoff Collins?

The entirety of Tar Heel Nation is hoping its beloved football team doesn't give up 500-plus yards to 1-win team. We want to see a better defensive product – not necessarily shutdown defense like Georgia (although, that'd be nice), but even the most marginal improvements will be welcomed.

Geoff Collins led Top-10 defenses in both seasons as Florida's defensive coordinator (2015 and 2016). He previously led Top-25 scoring defenses at Mississippi State (2013 and 2014) and FIU (2010), where the Panthers led the Sun Belt in total defense, scoring defense and turnover margin.

UNC had one of the worst defenses across Division-I over the past two seasons. Players struggled to wrap up ball-carriers, the secondary let wide receivers get behind them and – outside of the season-opener against South Carolina – defensive linemen rarely sacked the opposing quarterback.

With Collins leading SEC defenses and excelling with them, I have higher hopes for the Tar Heel defense in 2024.

How will North Carolina's newer-looking wide receiver group gel?

J.J. Jones led UNC with 711 receiving yards in 2023, a yardage total I expect to increase even further this fall. Nate McCollum, who transferred in from Georgia Tech prior to last year, collected 469 receiving yards and a touchdown. Kobe Paysour recorded 282 receiving yards and three touchdowns a season ago.

Outside of these three, the Tar Heels sport almost an entirely new wide receiver group. They return Gavin Blackwell and Chris Culliver, with the latter scoring a touchdown, but the remaining wide receivers are freshmen.

North Carolina didn't face a depth issue last year, with now-NFL rookie Devontez Walker leading the charge. The positive of not having Walker this season, though, is it allows UNC to experiment with a new top pass-catcher.

Can Omarion Hampton deliver another All-Star season?

Omarion Hampton quickly ascended up the Tar Heels' depth chart at running back, overtaking British Brooks for the starting spot in Week Two against App State.

I don't think anyone outside of the UNC football program expected Hampton to end 2023 the way he did, with his 1,504 rushing yards atop the ACC and fifth nationally. Hampton's 15 touchdowns were also atop the ACC – and fifth nationally.

With a decision yet to be made at quarterback (as of Saturday, Aug. 3), Hampton could be counted on for more offensive production in 2024. Does North Carolina stay in the shotgun spread, like it has since the days of Bryn Renner? Do the Tar Heels shift to a more singleback formation, with Hampton more of a bell cow running back?

I hope Hampton will play at his 2023 level, but that type of production is tough for anyone to replicate.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire : Top 5 storylines entering UNC's 2024 football season