The 1946 North Carolina Tar Heels football team was an American football team that represented the University of North Carolina in the Southern Conference during the 1946 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Carl Snavely, the Tar Heels compiled an 8–2–1 record (4–0–1 against Southern Conference opponents), won the conference title, and outscored opponents by a total of 271 to 129. They ranked ninth in the final AP Poll and were invited to the school's first bowl game, the 1947 Sugar Bowl, which they lost to Georgia.