This is a big test.
North Carolina probably has its toughest game of the season coming up against Notre Dame, a contest that many aren't expecting it to win. Whether people want to say Notre Dame or Miami is going to be the tougher game that North Carolina plays this season, there's absolutely no debate that these are going to be the two toughest games on the schedule.
Notre Dame comes in as the No. 3-ranked team in all of college football, according to the latest AP poll, while the University of Miami comes in at No. 4. North Carolina will play Miami on Halloween night, taking on the Hurricanes on October 31 in Chapel Hill.
There are a couple of ways that we can look at both of these games. For one, nobody expects North Carolina to win either of them. North Carolina is not nearly as good as Miami or Notre Dame, and while that's disappointing because of how much the program is spending, it's just the reality of the situation.
I'd even go as far as to say that North Carolina is really far away from both of those programs. That's not necessarily the worst thing in the world, either, because both are that good.
However, it does give North Carolina a chance to see how far away it is from being one of those teams.
Whether that means that Bill Belichick has to go out and do a better job in the transfer portal, the school needs to spend more money, or anything else, this is somewhat of a measuring stick in terms of whether North Carolina can be as good as some of these programs in the future.
“When you talk about Notre Dame and Miami, both of these teams are destined for the college football playoff. Miami has got to be near the top in terms of teams expected to win the national championship, Notre Dame’s in the mix as well. These are elite teams that are on North Carolina’s schedule, so I don’t know if that’s a good measuring stick. What it will show you is the gap between where North Carolina is right now and where they need to get to very quickly.
“There are a lot of things that go into that. We’ve talked about talent evaluation in the portal, we’ve talked about teams like LSU and Ohio State reportedly spending $50 million on a roster. Carolina’s is around half that,” Greg Barnes said.
Success wasn't built overnight for Miami and Notre Dame, as Miami has even dealt with some struggles over the past couple of years prior to last season. There were even times when the Hurricanes looked to be one of the more below-average teams in all of the country, something that should never happen because of the history behind the program.
As for Notre Dame, it is obviously one of the more marquee programs in all of college football, considered one of the greatest of all time.
North Carolina is not that, as it would be like comparing the two in basketball, which simply isn't possible.
