Early success crucial, 2025 best chance for UNC to make CFP according to CBS Sports team
All eyes will be on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Week 1 of the 2025 college football football season, as they welcome TCU to Kenan Stadium on Monday, September 1 at 8 p.m. for a primetime kickoff on ESPN.
Not only will this highly-anticipated Labor Day matchup be a great, early-season test for UNC, it will also be the long-awaited collegiate coaching debut of Bill Belichick. North Carolina moved on from Mack Brown after its disappointing 2024 campaign, deciding to hire the 8-time Super Bowl Champion in an unexpected move.
The Tar Heels have more than just a massive victory at stake. In a college football world where the ACC continues falling behind, CBS Sports' Danny Kannell said UNC needs to beat the Horned Frogs – and enjoy early-season success as a whole – on the Josh Pate College Football Show.
"You know what game I think is flying under the radar, is the North Carolina-TCU game," Kannell said. "I think the ACC needs Bill Belichick and North Carolina to succeed. Belichick's not Deion Sanders, he's not the same mentality at all. It's all been about offseason distractions. One thing I do think Bill Belichick is going to bring, is eyeballs, especially on that game. If they win that game, I think it carries over. As opposed to if they lose that game, who the heck knows what could happen in Chapel Hill.'
North Carolina's schedule gets slightly easier in the two weeks following its Labor Day clash with TCU. The Tar Heels will travel to Charlotte on Sept. 6, then return home to face Richmond on Sept. 13. UNC rolls to The Sunshine State on Sept. 20, playing UCF, then enters a bye week.
UNC faces a home date with Clemson, the 2025 ACC favorite and a preseason College Football Playoff contender, on Oct. 4. After another bye week, North Carolina travels to California for a Friday, October 17 matchup, hosts Virginia on Oct. 25 and travels to Syracuse on Halloween.
The Tar Heels host Stanford on November 8, stay in-state and travel to Wake Forest on Nov. 15, host Duke for Senior Day on Nov. 22 and travel to NC State on Nov. 29.
CBS Sports' Josh Pate, in the same conversation on his radio show with Kannell, called UNC's 2025 season its best chance to compete for a National Championship.
"Most people are thinking 'man, you got the Chapel Bill t-shirts printed, you better be a playoff contender," Pate said. "Ironically, this season may be their best shot, because it's the most workable schedule.""
Can North Carolina surpass its preseason expectations, turning offseason dreams into that elusive championship? The Tar Heels will head into each game with a 0-0 mindset – and the hope in Chapel Hill is finally for a winning football program.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
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