This year’s college football season is taking shape, with rosters being built and staff being changed. But could conferences see some new faces among their lineups? Schools look to join other leagues, depending upon the opportunities available. Conferences want to bring in the best programs and those with a reputation. It’s a no-brainer to target programs that are winning titles, right? However, the possible inclusion of two rather average colleges in the SEC is causing some commotion. Bill Belichick has a lot to do with it.

On the McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning podcast, Paul Finebaum claimed that the SEC would prefer having UNC and Virginia over Clemson and Florida State. Before you get ready to throw hands, there’s a lot to unpack here. Clemson and Florida went on a legal showdown with the ACC, and have settled on the league’s revenue distribution and exit penalties.  It is now easier for teams to leave the conference, which would require schools to pay $165 million (starting 2026), instead of the whopping $700 million figure.

Bill Belichick’s UNC was quietly following this development, spending more than $600K on a project called ‘Carolina Blue Matter’. It was essentially centered around conference realignment and its future in the ACC. And now that Finebaum is clearing the air about the Tar Heels’ possible future home, Belichick might have the last laugh after all. A team headed by a veteran NFL coach brings with it millions of dollars worth of viewership rights. It’s going to be raining money for both UNC and SEC, should the former join the latter.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 16: NFL, American Football Herren, USA analyst Bill Belichick looks on during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons on September 15, 2024 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire NFL: SEP 16 Falcons at Eagles EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon240916077

However, one would question: why would the conference prefer an average team like UNC over CFB greats like Clemson and Florida State? Scott McLaughlin explores some possible reasons. On his show, Locked on College Football, he said that the two schools joining the SEC aren’t a “detriment” to the conference. Firstly, McLaughlin touched upon the fact that Clemson and FSU come from states where the SEC already has a reach. “North Carolina and Virginia would represent two new states – two new markets – for the SEC to tap into. Does either one have a wildly impressive football history? No.”

Finebaum’s logic behind the comment is the brand potential North Carolina brings. Belichick joining UNC makes it an extremely lucrative program, making the SEC consider it over the legacies of ACC biggies. McLaughlin said that another factor could be the SEC wanting to see how adding “non-traditional football powers” could play out financially for a season. “Every time you get a team into the playoffs and every game they win, that’s a lot of money that gets kicked back to the conference,” he said. Say, the UNC puts up a stellar record in the upcoming season, the ACC would be in financial heaven. With the star factor that Bill Belichick brings, it’s no wonder that the SEC would want them.

What Paul Finebaum says about Clemson and FSU

Finebaum did not mince words while clarifying why FSU and Clemson would not be targets for the SEC. After all, they were the ones who made their intent to leave known by filing the lawsuits. Athlon Sports quotes him saying, “They are behind the other state schools […] I don’t think one of them have much to offer, and quite frankly, I’m not really sure why the Big Ten would want either of them.”

Florida State last won the ACC championship title in 2014, while Clemson State won in 2018. The latter did manage to get to the ACC Championship Game against SMU last year, but lost 31-34. Florida State, on the other hand, recorded just two wins last season. One came against California (14-9), and the other was from a non-conference game against Charleston Southern (41-7).

The analyst is also likely hinting at the high brand value potential UNC and Virginia bring to the table. “[UNC] is a preeminent university, but it also has good athletics and it used to have good basketball. Virginia doesn’t have that, but they are a brand.” North Carolina football might not be on the radar, but Bill Belichick surely brings promise for its future.

Simply put, North Carolina is being regarded as a sort of a golden duck. With the tag of the veteran NFL coach, it is clear as day why the SEC would want UNC. Bill Belichick, too, now has an easier path to approach the conference. Maybe the covert six-figure investment might actually turn out to be able to see some benefits materializing.