Head coach Bill Belichick and his North Carolina Tar Heels will kick off their season against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs on Monday. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum recently made a bold prediction regarding how legendary sideline savant will fare in his North Carolina debut.
“Chapel Bill has a big and dramatic victory over TCU,” Finebaum predicted on SportsCenter.
The Tar Heels went 6-7 in 2024 and were unranked for the entire season for the first time since 2019. Former South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez will start under center as the program looks to rebound.
“He told me I looked good during fall camp and that I was going to take the reins of the offense,” Lopez told ESPN’s David Hale. “I was talking to my dad like, ‘Man, I'm going to be Coach Belichick's first starting quarterback in college.'”
Belichick has spoken about the expectations that the team faces. He also expressed confidence regarding his NFL experience transferring to the colligate level at this point in his career.
“There are some things you kind of feel good about and some questions about,” Belichick said, “and as things unfold, you find out how good you feel about the things you felt good about and the things you were worried about. It's not always the same. When you practice against yourself, or even preseason games in the NFL, it's low-level. When you get ready to play a game, nothing's held back. They game-plan you and try to exploit your weaknesses and attack you where they feel like they can cause you problems.”
North Carolina enters 2025 with several new faces, and Belichick will certainly have his hands full as he attempts to write another successful chapter of his football life.
