When Bill Belichick decided to get back into coaching, he probably didn't forecast that he wasn't going to find success getting another job in the NFL. But he found an interesting landing spot - in college football, where the North Carolina Tar Heels were ready to meet his price.

With the Tar Heels, Belichick was venturing into new territory, because he was not used to going out there and convincing young athletes to participate in his program, other than through NFL free agency. Of course, in the college ranks, there is a sort of free agency, which comes through the transfer portal. And he was very active there, along with his general manager, Michael Lombardi.

There is always pressure to win, but this may be one of those situations where Belichick simply has to get his bearings and lay a foundation. And will he wait around long enough to do that? At BetOnline they had him priced at +700 to go back to the NFL next year. And you know that if UNC does not get to a bowl game, this is going to be considered a major disappointment.

He comes into this game against an opponent that is difficult to prepare for. The TCU Horned Frogs bring a fast-paced offense that can run up some numbers. And they have great authors for this kind of attack in head coach Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles. And they have someone at the trigger who can really put up numbers.

These teams will tangle at 8 PM ET at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, and the place will no doubt be rocking.

Odds for college football free pick at BetOnline

North Carolina is grabbing some points at home in this game:

TCU Horned Frogs -4 (-105)
North Carolina Tar Heels +4 (-115)

Over 54 Points -115
Under 54 Points -105

North Carolina intends to move ball with dual-threat transfer

Belichick has a genuine dual-threat quarterback at the controls in Gio Lopez, who threw for 2559 yards and added 465 on the ground at South Alabama last season. One of the things Belichick liked was that he minimized his mistakes, with just five interceptions in 312 attempts.

The big challenge is what to do in the backfield. Omarion Hampton was an outstanding ball-carrier, good enough to be drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Chargers. And now they'll turn to Davion Gause, who averaged 4.9 yards per carry last season, to shoulder much of the load. Belichick and his staff recruited heavily for the offensive line, and that's a good thing, because they start the season with a foot injury to veteran center Austin Blaske.

The dilemma for Belichick on defense

Belichick brings his son Steve, who served under Jedd Finch at Washington, to Chapel Hill with him as defensive coordinator. Of course, the old man is revered as a defensive mind. And with new groups along the defensive line and linebacker corps, he'll need every bit of that defensive mind to deal with an opponent that is going to flood the secondary, a quarterback who will get rid of the ball quickly and a team that takes very little time between snaps. Dykes has had to replace a number of wide receivers, but he hit the transfer portal with some gusto and still has the benefit of returnee Erik McAlister, who averaged 19.5 yards per catch in 2024.

So what's the final word?

TCU's defense was not airtight last season; for example, they gave up 66 points to ACC contender SMU. With eight starters back on that unit, things should be a bit better. They'll have a guy who is NFL caliber in Bud Clark, who should be one of the top three or four safeties chosen on draft night.

What's important to remember is that TCU has the ability to keep any opposing defense on its heels, but that may especially be the case with North Carolina, which has had to put together units with players unfamiliar with each other in a hurry, and with a staff that is more used to pro football than the collegiate variety. The Tar Heels will have difficulty keeping TCU off the board, and for that reason we would lean toward a Horned Frog victory minus the points.

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