UNC football to finish 2025 season in top half of ACC, according to USA TODAY Sports

Posted by author March 6, 2025 Football

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Where will UNC finish its first football season under head coach Bill Belichick?

Offseason excitement doesn’t translate to wins on the field, but if you’re part of the UNC football program, you have plenty to be excited about.

North Carolina made its greatest splash of the offseason by hiring Bill Belichick, an 8-time Super Bowl Champion, to be its next head coach. The Belichick Effect quickly took shape after, with recruits starting to give the Tar Heels looks and, later commit or re-open their recruitments to consider Chapel Hill.

My first though upon Belichick’s hiring: can UNC compete at the highest level? Eventually, but North Carolina has a ton of work to do before talking about postseason play.

In what is expected to be an improved ACC during 2025, the Tar Heels are projected to finish sixth in USA TODAY Sports’ first ACC Power Rankings.

UNC trails expected champion Clemson (first), Miami (FL, second), Louisville (third), Georgia Tech (fourth) and SMU. North Carolina is just one spot ahead of Duke, which stole the Victory Bell back in 2024.

“The Bill Belichick era begins with UNC as the most scrutinized program in the ACC and broader Power Four,” Paul Myerberg wrote. “The Tar Heels are more talented than last year’s six-win mark would suggest and have brought in a solid transfer class, so the pieces are in place for a strong debut. A manageable schedule helps.”

North Carolina has all its 2025 opponents and dates set, but we only know the 7:30 p.m. kickoff time for the Labor Day opener against TCU. The Tar Heels will then alternate home and away games each week, ending with a trip to NC State over Thanksgiving weekend.

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