The preseason is coming to a close for North Carolina football, which is beginning preparation for a Week 1 nationally-televised matchup at Minnesota.

The Tar Heels open the season Aug. 29 against the Golden Gophers (8 p.m., FOX) in Minneapolis.

Picked to finish eighth in the ACC preseason poll in its sixth season since head coach Mack Brown’s return to Chapel Hill, UNC finished with a 8-5 record in 2023, including a 4-4 mark in conference play.

Here are three of the main storylines for the Tar Heels entering the 2024 season.

How will UNC football handle its quarterback situation?

For the first time since Brown returned to coach the Tar Heels in 2019, UNC will start a season without Sam Howell or Drake Maye as its starting quarterback. Howell or Maye have started in 63 of 65 games since 2019, with Jacolby Criswell starting against Wofford in 2021 and Conner Harrell getting the nod against West Virginia in last season's finale.

Criswell and Harrell, along with Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson, are battling to be UNC’s starting quarterback this season. The Tar Heels haven’t had two quarterbacks attempt more than 100 passes in the same season since Chaz Surratt and Nathan Elliott in 2017. UNC finished with a 3-9 record that year.

During Brown’s first stint at UNC from 1988-97, the Tar Heels had seven different quarterbacks lead the team statistically. The veteran head coach has experienced success playing two quarterbacks, so it’ll be interesting to see how UNC handles the position this year.

Will Omarion Hampton, Geoff Collins’ defense be the Tar Heels’ keys to success?

The Tar Heels have a star in the backfield, that star just happens to be the running back instead of the quarterback this season. Despite the uncertainty at QB, UNC is built for success with Omarion Hampton leading what is projected to be a talented group. After Hampton did the heavy lifting for a UNC rushing offense that finished 19th last season, USC transfer Darwin Barlow and Caleb Hood can help Hampton keep that going this year.

Mack Brown feels good about the Tar Heels’ offensive line depth, even as UNC tries to replace four of its five starters at the line of scrimmage. As for the other standouts on the team, a bulk of those players are on the defensive side of the ball. First-year defensive coordinator Geoff Collins will try to help the Tar Heels bounce back from a season in which they finished 94th in total defense.

Returning linebacker Power Echols, pass rusher Kaimon Rucker, along with defensive backs Marcus Allen and Alijah Huzzie are expected to be the headliners for a revamped unit built on creating chaos. Collins has a history of fielding top 25 defenses. If that continues at UNC, the Tar Heels can win at least eight games for the third year in a row.

Late-season struggles continue to be an issue for UNC

Despite winning at least eight games in three of the last five seasons, including back-to-back years entering 2024, the Tar Heels have entered the offseason with a sour taste in their mouths because of how they’ve finished seasons.

After a 6-0 start in 2023, UNC lost five of its last seven games. Following a 9-1 start in 2022, UNC lost its final four games of the season. Mack Brown pointed to the strength of opponents and a lack of depth as two of the primary concerns for the Tar Heels’ tough luck down the stretch.

Brown expects UNC’s depth across the roster to be better this season and the Tar Heels only have two ranked teams — at No. 10 Florida State (Nov. 2) and vs. No. 24 N.C. State (Nov. 30) — on their schedule this season. If there's a season to reverse the trend, this is the time to start.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC football preview 2024: 3 storylines for Tar Heels in 2024 season