There will be one more round of regular season games tonight in Week 14 of the 2024 college football season before the focus shifts to conference championship and College Football Playoff games.
Some programs nationwide have already raised their flags and are focusing on the upcoming season, while many others are vying for a spot in the 12-team playoffs.
One of those programs is the North Carolina Tar Heels, whose head coach, Mack Brown, was fired by the university after six seasons in charge.
Pete Thamel of ESPN reports that Brown will coach the Tar Heels against the N.C. State Wolfpack on Saturday. It is still unclear if Brown will play in UNC’s bowl game.
After winning three of their previous four games, all in ACC play, Brown and the Tar Heels are now 6-5 on the season.
Brown has guided the program to a 44-32 overall record since coming to North Carolina in 2019. Under Brown, UNC had a 1-4 record in those postseason games but advanced to a bowl game each season.
After starting his career as a wide receivers coach with Florida State in 1973, Brown began working up the coaching ladder in programs like Southern Miss, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Tulane.
Brown took over the Tar Heels program in 1988 and went 1-10 in each of his first two seasons. But the turnaround began in 1990, and Brown led UNC to eight straight winning seasons from 1990-97.
He made a lasting name with the Texas Longhorns, leading the program from 1998 to 2013. Brown led the Longhorns to a national title in 2005 and helped the program earn Big 12 titles in 2005 and 2009.