Bill Belichick’s foray into college football was always bound to cause divergent views. The masses are firmly divided on how he’ll fare with UNC. The separation is pretty extreme in nature, too. People are on polar opposite sides of the spectrum. Some believe he’ll take the Tar Heels into the CFP in Year 1, while others think he’ll fall flat on his face. Not due to a lack of coaching prowess but experience traversing this level of the sport. With such extremist POVs, the people who are in charge of providing some objectivity become all the more important. 

In order to gauge the true expectations. Vegas and the sportsbooks provide that objectivity. However, even they’re seemingly blinded by the allure of Bill Belichick, the proverbial GOAT. Some of the biggest sportsbooks in the country have leveraged their thoughts on how UNC will perform this season. All the factors baked in, the win/loss total for them has been set. One revered voice of CFB media couldn’t fathom that the total has actually been set at 7.5. So much so that they couldn’t wait to throw money at the under. While, through sheer disbelief of the win total, also laying an indictment of how Belichick and UNC’s 2025 season has “disaster written all over it.” They didn’t mince words thereon out, either.

“I’m so against this move. The more I think about it, the less sense that it actually makes,” remarked Spencer McLaughlin over the “Locked on College Football” podcast. Why is McLaughlin so pessimistic about Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels? He pointed to three main reasons- adapting to the college game, the offensive personnel, and, perhaps harshly, just the fact that Belichick may be kind of washed and that Father Time caught up to him. By the end of McLaughlin’s cipher, the rationale that 8 wins is too high of a threshold for Belichick to breach became more apparent. Which is an issue because the school is all-in.

“I am fading North Carolina in 2025 as much as I will fade any team in college football this year,” he said. Spencer McLaughlin did preface his reasons for undermining UNC by acknowledging one thing. “If Bill Belichick wanted to sit here and explain football to me, I would listen to him for hours. It would be great because he has forgotten more about football than I will ever know. But his expertise has also reigned in the NFL. Bringing that down to college. It doesn’t always translate.” He pointed to Jedd Fisch being a bit of an exception to the rule. Who has shown NFL coaches can indeed make the transition seamlessly, especially with Arizona?

McLaughlin proceeded to make a rather scathing comment. “Jedd Fisch doesn’t feel like the game passed him by. Bill Belichick had the game pass him by. Because everyone learned to play offense, and Bill Belichick never adapted to that.” Ouch. His tenure in New England did end on a whimper, but the greatest defensive mind in the history of the sport is still in there somewhere. That’s maybe why McLaughlin reckons the offense is just as much of a concern, if not more.

OC Freddie Kitchens, who was already in Chapel Hill before Belichick arrived, is a sticking point. Not to mention, their quarterback situation is unresolved, with no conspicuous solution. Plus, The Tar Heels have just lost tailback Omarion Hampton to the NFL draft. To contextualize how big a deficit this is for Belichick, Hampton has received 2x First-Team All-American and 2x First-Team All-ACC honors the past 2 seasons.

Despite a relatively soft schedule, it’s not a far cry to suggest 8 wins seem like a lot for UNC. For a program going through essentially a complete 180 both on and off the field, a .500 or below season does seem likely. Well, the UNC brass sure wouldn’t want that. They’re already pouring gasoline on this proverbial fire that’s about to ignite. UNC wants to maximize its window with Belichick. Whom they’re paying $50 million over 5 years for his services. They’re making moves to ensure they’re as competitive on the gridiron as they’ve been on the hardwood. From the shadows and away from the media lens, the school has taken it’s first tangible step into moving away from the ACC. In an attempt to realign, UNC is leaving loyalties at the door to, let’s be frank, maximize money.

Bill Belichick’s arrival at UNC coincides with their expedited effort to leave the ACC

When USC President Carol Folt pushed for her football program to leave the PAC-12, she started a trend. Oregon, among others, followed suit to the Big 10. Then, this ordeal reverberated across from the Pacific coast to the south. Texas and Oklahoma, two programs synonymous with history, joined the SEC. All their fans and communities were figuratively uprooted, with some embracing change and others not quite. Staying close in the south, UNC is now angling for a move away. You’d think this came about because of their newfound figurehead, Bill Belichick. Except, it’s been in the pipeline for over 2 years. Details previously kept under wraps have now boiled over to the surface.

The Athletic’s Matt Baker and Brendan Marks reported that UNC has spent over $600k on legal fees dating back to 2022. This started right after Texas and Oklahoma’s moves had been announced. The article also stated that a majority of the payments occurred in the past 5 months. Which points to Bill Belichick indeed being a catalyst for the school’s efforts. While UNC has spent $600k quietly, FSU, for instance, has spent over $3 million very publicly in legal fees. For the same reasons, move to a conference that pays more TV revenue.

In the aforementioned article, the UNC Board of Trustees’s chair, John Preyer, said, “I firmly believe that protecting UNC financially requires us to explore every available avenue. To depart a conference that is in financial decline and is primarily serving its bottom tier schools…the current commissioner is not serving our best interests,” The school recognizes that they have an opening, an opportunity.

To make noise with and build a contender with Bill Belichick at the helm. But in keeping a far-sighted view, they can’t lose vision of the immediate. If Spencer McLaughlin’s decree is true, the Belichick hire would seem futile, and the UNC football program will be an afterthought again. The sheen and glitter could dull very quickly if the results don’t match the reputation Belichick brings.