All the current hype in college football surrounds the North Carolina Tar Heels – and they aren’t even playing in the College Football Playoff.
UNC will face UConn in the Fenway Bowl on Saturday, the sixth-straight season UNC will play postseason football, but there’s something much larger capturing everyone’s attention.
North Carolina hired longtime NFL legend Bill Belichick as its head coach on Wednesday, December 11. Belichick entered the Tar Heels’ head-coaching search late in the process – as a surprise candidate – but wound up with the job.
Belichick’s hiring is already catching the eye of several big-name recruits, include the Class of 2026’s top-ranked quarterback and a former 5-star defensive lineman.
Speaking of big names, Belichick will face one of the best coaches in college football during UNC’s 2025 football season.
The coach in reference here is Dabo Swinney, Clemson‘s longtime head man, who led his teams to the 2016 and 2018 National Championships. The Tigers are back in the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020 (2021 Sugar Bowl), when they lost to Ohio State.
The Bill Belichick vs Dabo Swinney matchup next year will be must see
— Jonathan Lidskin (@JonathanLidskin) December 11, 2024
North Carolina doesn’t know when it will play Clemson, but we do know Clemson will be traveling to Kenan Stadium. Belichick will help the Tar Heels try and snap a 6-game losing streak to the Tigers, who are the standard for ACC football.
Belichick knows a thing or two about big matchups himself, as he won Six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and appeared in the playoffs 19 times (once with the Cleveland Browns).
Facing Clemson will be a great “welcome to college football” moment for Belichick. Then again, the greatest coach of all time doesn’t need any introduction.
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