Calling North Carolina's 31-30 overtime loss to Syracuse inexcusable wouldn't be a stretch.

In no world did Bill Belichick's squad expect to fall to 4-3 in front of a sold-out crowd against the Orange.

As they always say: Any given Saturday.

This could desperately be the wake-up call UNC needs with No. 1 Miami coming to town on Halloween, or it could be the final nail in the coffin.

For whatever reason, the Tar Heels haven't been able to win three games in a row under Belichick. It's a confusing hurdle to get over, especially when it was handed to them on a silver platter against Syracuse.

Nearly everyone expected UNC to win this football game, but they ended up losing in Week 8, which pushed them to 2-2 in conference play.

The most embarrassing part? UNC's only win at home this season is against East Tennessee State, and they just handed Syracuse its first ACC victory of the year.

In no world do the Tar Heels wish this game against Miami was being played in Florida, but with how they've looked at Kenan Stadium this year, it'll be extremely interesting to see how things play out in primetime on Saturday, Oct. 31.

An overtime loss is one thing, but the way they lost to Syracuse was another. UNC jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but it was a 13-point fourth quarter for the Orange, along with a gutsy two-point conversion in the first overtime that got the job done.

Just over 50,000 fans went home frustrated, confused, and left wondering what's next for UNC after one of the worst losses in the Belichick era.

Not only does UNC already have a ranked win this season, but they hung in there for a majority of the game against Notre Dame.

These losses to Clemson and Syracuse certainly stung, but now it sets up a Week 9 matchup where Miami has everything to lose, and UNC has everything to gain.

The Tar Heels are going to open as massive underdogs against the Hurricanes, and that's completely justified with how these two teams have been playing.

Sometimes, Belichick is at his best with his back against the wall, and there's no greater example of that than in Week 9 when the Tar Heels get to host the top-ranked team in the country.