The Bill Belichick era at North Carolina kicks off Monday when the legendary former NFL coach makes his long-awaited debut on the college sidelines. Big 12 contender TCU visits in the final matchup of a loaded Week 1 slate, eager to spoil Belichick’s start.
The Tar Heels return only a handful of contributors from last season, but Belichick inherits a program that has reached bowl eligibility in six straight years. His presence raises expectations for a program that has logged just one double-digit-win season in the 21st century. North Carolina now turns to an eight-time Super Bowl champion to lift its ceiling.
TCU, meanwhile, has never beaten the Tar Heels (0-3 all-time) but enters with a chance to change that. Coach Sonny Dykes has won 27 of 40 games since taking over and guided the Horned Frogs to the 2022 national title game. His current roster is expected to keep TCU in the top half of the Big 12.
North Carolina vs. TCU: Need to know
Roster overhaul: Both North Carolina and TCU lost more than half of their starters from last year, but the Tar Heels’ roster turnover is in a completely different stratosphere compared to the rest of the country. With their coaching change, just 38 players from Mack Brown’s final year stuck with the Tar Heels and 70 new faces joined the mix — 40 via the transfer portal and 30 from the high school ranks. Chief among those newcomers is starting quarterback Gio Lopez, who won the job last week after an impressive 2024 season at South Alabama.
Been there before: The Horned Frogs are no strangers to this kind of moment. It was just two years ago that they served as the opponent for another colossal coaching debut, squaring off on the road against Deion Sanders’ debut Colorado team in an all-eyes-on-us Week 1 showdown. The similarities between that spot and this one are striking, but TCU would appreciate a different result against Belichick after it sustained a shocking loss to the Buffaloes in 2023.
Strength vs. weakness: Offense was TCU’s calling card through the first three years of the Dykes era, and quarterback Josh Hoover is back for a third year at helm of a high-octane passing attack that ranked as the eighth-most productive unit in the nation last fall. That creates a major test for the North Carolina defense, which has been uninspiring at best in recent seasons. Perhaps with Steve Belichick in as defensive coordinator and his father running the show, that unit will finally take a much-needed step forward.
How to watch North Carolina vs. TCU live
Date: Monday, Sept. 1 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Kenan Stadium — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
North Carolina vs. TCU prediction, picks
The surge in excitement around the North Carolina football program will only intensify if Belichick opens his tenure with a win. This is a tricky spot for him to pick up that first victory, but if his transfer additions live up to their billing, TCU is a beatable opponent. Containing Hoover and the Horned Frogs’ aerial attack will be paramount, and given that most of the Tar Heels’ top transfer pickups came on the defensive side of the ball — including two four-star prospects who followed Steve Belichick from Washington — there should be enough new talent on hand to cover the field goal and a hook, if not to win outright.
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