The mass conference realignment before the last season changed College Football on its head. Some of the biggest blueblood or adjacent programs chose to converge elsewhere, and this led to the historic PAC-12 vanquishing into the abyss. That conference was etched in the fabric of CFB, yet it fell victim to modernization and, let’s be frank, money. A year from this travesty, one more conference faces the same fate. The reason for this predicament? The UNC Tar Heels and them luring arguably the greatest coach ever, Bill Belichick, to their modest ACC habitat.

When USC President Carol Folt pushed for her football program to join the Big 10, she started a trend. Oregon, among others, followed suit, and then it reverberated across from the Pacific coast to the south. Texas and Oklahoma, two behemoths, joined the SEC. All of this was essentially a ploy to maximize earnings from TV broadcasters, and the cost of admission was to leave tradition and loyalties at the door. Alas, even a school more known for its ventures on the hardwood than the gridiron has got an invitation now.

After all, Bill Belichick is as big a pull as any. As a result, SEC broadcasters ESPN, who already also have rights to the ACC, are supposedly angling to get the Tar Heels into the limelight of the southeast where the eyeballs shall be incrementally higher.

This news initially caught traction when Minnesota insider Greg Flugaur stated he’s heard from sources that UNC is dabbling with the prospect. Flugaur was almost certain that this was in the pipeline. Following this, USF fan and proclaimed insider ‘Randy’ wrote on X, “UNC is not staying in ACC, folks. They have talked to the SEC and Big 10. Things are heating up. ESPN doesn’t want to lose UNC. ESPN will fight hard to move UNC to SEC. I expect SEC to go to 20 schools. Feel comfortable stating this after sourcing info and talking to my ESPN contact.”

Now you can believe these rumors or leave them, based on your discernment of their legitimacy. But there is no smoke without fire. Something could be brewing, and there is a person who believes that there is some truth to these rumors. Drake C. Toll of the “Locked on Big 12” podcast realizes that things in College Football that seem obnoxious are often founded in some form of legitimacy. He discussed these reports on his platform and stated:

“If [ESPN] wants UNC in the SEC, who’s going to stop it?” he asked himself and realized the answer doesn’t exist. “If Fox wants Notre Dame in the Big 10, NBC could stop that. But if Fox wants Utah on the Big 10, who’s going to stop it? Who has the power to say ‘No, no, no, no, stay’? I don’t think TNT is there yet. I don’t think ESPN would stick its neck out to save BYU in the Big 12 when they could go to the Big 10… If UNC can figure out the ACC grant of rights, this is all possible. However, ESPN will fight hard to keep them in the network and away from the Big 10.

“[UNC] hired Bill Belichick. They have the Jordan Brand, they have basketball. They have all those things so they can leverage them into a better situation financially moving forward. Let’s be honest with ourselves,” Toll then addressed the elephant in the room.

“If anyone came to your university president and said, ‘Why don’t you join the SEC?’ They’re kind of handcuffed. At that point, they’re going, ‘Oh shoot, I kind of have to make $55 million a year from a TV contract, or I can make $30 million a year from a TV contract.’ It’s going to change your entire university and the way your Athletic Department operates. That is something that is tough to turn down,” he said.

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Some of the worst written, incoherent word babble I’ve ever read. I’d start with a middle school grammar text and...more

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As disheartened as he was about this as someone who covers the relatively smaller Big 12, Drake Toll was not averse to the reality of what College Football is moving towards. When you’ve got a Bill Belichick for a short window, programs will inadvertently want to maximize it. Despite the egregious backwash via some traditionalists and fans.

Bill Belichick did warn he’s going to change the way CFB operates!

When UNC managed to get the proverbial GOAT Bill Belichick to take what could be perceived as a job beneath his stature, something of this magnitude should have been expected. From the outset of his foray into College Football, Belichick has brought the NFL flavor to Chapel Hill. He tagged along a GM, for instance, Michael Lombardi.

It may seem hyperbolic to suggest the reason for this potential realignment is Belichick. But the truth is, has raised the stock of the Tar Heels football program higher than it ever was without even coaching a single game yet. Just his sheer presence and subsequent interest in the Tar Heels means they can leverage his stint for years to come: Not just among broadcasters, but even among players.

A bunch of recruits that, with all due respect, would’ve never come to Chapel Hill are now following the trail Belichick has blazed. Even though his tenure in New England fizzled out down the stretch, he is still a defensive juggernaut and kids could learn a lot from his coaching. Not to mention, he has extensive knowledge of what traits and attributes translate to the NFL level.

Belichick could have a Saban-like impact on student-athletes turning pro. Now that’s a reach. Regardless, the byproduct of his arrival is already being seen off the gridiron. Ironically, that stint in the media with ESPN between jobs could be useful now. 4-D chess, as the kids would call it.