Football season is still a few months away, but it's not as far as it might seem. North Carolina is hopeful that in year two with Bill Belichick, things will go a lot differently, though it's still important to remember that he didn't exactly have the greatest transfer portal class or recruiting class in general.
To put things as nicely as possible, Belichick's first year in Chapel Hill was absolutely brutal, almost flat-out embarrassing.
There were times toward the end of the season when North Carolina started to play better, but there really wasn't much to suggest we should have any hope for this program moving forward, as Belichick has a lot to prove. North Carolina will also play a rather difficult schedule, taking on TCU, Notre Dame, and an entire ACC slate in Belichick's second campaign.
Unfortunately, some don't expect things to be much different from what they were a year ago, with a writer recently predicting that North Carolina would finish last in the ACC.
“North Carolina: Belichick, Heels finish last in ACC
“Expectations aren't high in Chapel Hill entering Year 2 of the Bill Belichick era. FanDuel sets the win total at just 4.5, with North Carolina carrying the third-worst ACC title odds. The schedule doesn't help. Six games come against projected top-half ACC teams, plus a tough non-conference slate that starts with TCU in Dublin, Ireland, and also includes Notre Dame. And that Dublin opener matters. The last four teams to lose the opener there haven't finished above .500 in the same season. Not exactly a trend UNC wants to test,” Cody Nagel of CBS wrote.
I think it's safe to say that if North Carolina finishes last in the ACC next year and doesn't even have five wins, we should see drastic changes. I don't know if that means firing Belichick already, but something would probably have to change. North Carolina would likely have to spend a lot more money on its football team, though it sounds like it is already spending a good bit.