Report Predicts Rough Start for Belichick, UNC

The Tar Heels were picked to finish 12th in the 2025 ACC preseason poll, signaling low expectations for Bill Belichick’s debut season.

Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick walks to his seat for the announcement of his hiring at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

With ACC Kickoff starting on Tuesday, everyone will start to see preseason polls on how each team in the conference will fare.

To the shock of no one, Clemson was picked to win the conference for the second season in a row. The Tigers were followed by Miami, SMU and Louisville. Georgia Tech was ranked fifth.

Unfortunately for North Carolina, there is doubt around the program going into 2025 even with the hire of Bill Belichick. According to a USA Today poll, the Tar Heels are predicted to finish 12th out of 17 teams in the ACC. 

Bill Belichick, 2000-2023 (266-121, .687 winning %, 18 playoff appearances, 6 Super Bowl wins) | Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UNC is one spot behind Syracuse, who was picked to finish ninth despite winning the Holiday Bowl last season to finish with a 10-3 season and an AP Top 25 finish. The Tar Heels will travel to Syracuse to take on the Orange on Halloween night. The last time the two teams met, Carolina won 40-7 at Kenan Stadium on Oct. 7, 2024. 

The team behind UNC, Boston College, is coached by former Belichick assistant Bill O’Brien. The Eagles defeated the Tar Heels 41-21 in Chestnut HIll, Ma. last season.

For a lot of Tar Heel fans, the next question is where their biggest rivals, Duke and NC State, land in USA Today’s ACC preseason poll? Well the Blue Devils and the Wolfpack are ranked above them at sixth and 10th respectively. 

2025 USA Today ACC Preseason Poll

1. Clemson
2. Miami
3. SMU
4. Louisville
5. Georgia Tech
6. Duke
7. Florida State
8. Pittsburgh
9. Virginia Tech
10. N.C. State
11. Syracuse
12. North Carolina
13. Boston College
14. Virginia
15. Wake Forest
16. California
17. Stanford

Furthermore, not a single UNC player was picked to be a part of the All-ACC Preseason Poll. However, that is not shocking considering the amount of turnover on the roster.

USA Today Preseason All-ACC Team

Offense

QB: Cade Klubnik, Clemson

RB: Isaac Brown, Louisville*

RB: Jamal Haynes, Georgia Tech

WR: Antonio Williams, Clemson*

WR: Caullin Lacy, Louisville

WR: Eric Rivers, Georgia Tech

WR: Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson

TE: Justin Joly, N.C. State

OL: Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech*

OL: Francis Mauigoa, Miami

OL: Blake Miller, Clemson

OL: Pete Nygra, Louisville

OL: Brian Parker II, Duke

Defense

DL: TJ Parker, Clemson*

DL: Peter Woods, Clemson*

DL: Rueben Bain Jr., Miami

DL: Jordan van den Berg, Georgia Tech

LB: Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh*

LB: Wade Woodaz, Clemson

LB: Sammy Brown, Clemson

DB: Avieon Terrell, Clemson*

DB: Chandler Rivers, Duke

DB: Terry Moore, Duke

DB: Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU

(* denotes unanimous selection)

For starters, the Tar Heels return just six starters from the 2024 season. While North Carolina added several experienced transfers — particularly on defense — replacing 16 starters is a tall task for any program. 

That challenge is even greater when one of those losses was running back Omarion Hampton, a rare first-round selection at his position in today’s NFL.

Moreover, there should be concern around the amount of production that was lost in both the passing and running game.

The good news for North Carolina is that it faces a manageable schedule. According to Pro Football Network, the Tar Heels have the 65th-toughest slate in the country, with their opponents averaging a 6.5–5.5 record.

In nonconference play, UNC’s toughest opponent will be TCU in the season opener for both teams, set for primetime on Labor Day. In its overall schedule all but Clemson, Duke, Syracuse and TCU won at least nine games. The rest of the opponents on their schedule won six games or less last season.

While it may not look promising with the Tar Heels ranked 12th in USA Today’s preseason ACC poll, there’s a reason it’s called a “preseason poll.”

In 2023, Northwestern was picked to finish last in the Big Ten West Division going into the season coming off an 1-11 season along with the sudden firing of longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald due to hazing allegations.

They finished with an 8-5 record and were tied for second place in the Big Ten West.

Once again, it's called a "preseason poll" for a reason — no one truly knows anything until Labor Day weekend and beyond.

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