While Bill Belichick is making his case to North Carolina Tar Heels fans about his ability to take the Atlantic Coast Conference, it appears to have done little to sway voters in the conference's preseason poll.
The Tar Heels are projected to finish 8th (out of 17 football-playing teams) in the league, two spots behind the Duke Blue Devils and two spots ahead of the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
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Clemson, ACC champions in 2024, is picked to win again. The Miami Hurricanes, who had one of their best seasons in nearly a decade, and the SMU Mustangs, who lost in the ACC championship game last year to Clemson, were picked to finish second and third, respectively. Georgia Tech and Louisville rounded out the top five.
The Tar Heels (6-7, 3-5 in the ACC) tied for 10th in the ACC last season. The lackluster season resulted in the dismissal of head coach Mack Brown, who took the helm for the Tar Heels in 2019 after previously coaching in Chapel Hill from 1988 through 1997.
The Tar Heels then set their sights on Belichick, who was unable to get an interview for NFL coaching positions and shifted his focus to the college game. While Belichick is a six-time Super Bowl champion head coach with the New England Patriots and a lock for the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, this will be Belichick's first time coaching at the college level.
Duke (9-4, 5-3 in the ACC) begins its second season under coach Manny Diaz. NC State (6-7, 3-5 in the ACC) opened practice Wednesday for coach Dave Doeren's 13th season in Raleigh.
2025 ACC Football Predicted Order of Finish (Media Vote)
1. Clemson (167) - 3083
2. Miami (7) - 2679
3. SMU (2) - 2612
4. Georgia Tech (2) - 2397
5. Louisville - 2370
6. Duke - 1973
7. Florida State (4) - 1920
8. North Carolina - 1611
9. Pitt - 1571
10. NC State - 1505
11. Virginia Tech (1) - 1412
12. Syracuse - 1381
13. Boston College - 953
14. Virginia - 871
15. California - 659
16. Wake Forest - 576
17. Stanford - 426
First-place votes in parentheses; 183 media voters
>> 'Welcome to the ACC': NC State head coach Dave Doeren speaks on UNC's hiring of Bill Belichick
While the Tar Heels are picked to finish in the middle of the conference, one ACC coach said he expects Belichick to have immediate success in his first season.
“I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t have success,” said Pitt head coach Patt Narduzzi at ACC Media Day, joking that he wouldn't be surprised if Belichick reaches the conference title game in 2025.
“I don’t have a crystal ball. I’m no genius over here, but he’s a heck of a football coach. But it takes players and it takes coaches, okay. It takes a program together. It takes everybody moving in the same direction. I’m sure with the president there at North Carolina, the new AD now coming in and Belichick and his entire staff, they’ll do a helluva job," Narduzzi said.
The excitement for the Tar Heels in 2025 is already generating money for the program, as UNC announced that it had sold out its tickets for all six of the Tar Heels home games, a clear indication of the interest Belichick has generated in the program
Hungry like the wolf: Doeren, NC State look to change their fortunes in 2025
The Wolfpack is also looking to change its fortunes after it had a lackluster season in 2024. The Wolfpack started the season in the AP Preseason Top 25, but fell out of favor with AP voters after a 51-10 blowout loss to the Tennessee Volunteers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in the Duke's Mayo Classic.
The Wolfpack finished 6-7, capping off the disappointing year with a 26-21 loss to the East Carolina Pirates in the Go Bowling Military Bowl, during which Wolfpack players got into a brawl with Pirates players. The brawl also resulted in a sideline official getting injured.
The Wolfpack made several changes on offense, including firing Robert Anae as offensive coordinator and replacing him with Kurt Roper. The Wolfpack is also looking to replace KC Concepcion, who transferred to Texas A&M after the 2024 season.
However, there were some bright spots for the Wolfpack in 2024. Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey put together enough standout performances during his freshman season in Grayson McCall’s absence to earn the top spot on the depth chart in 2025.
Running with the Devils: Blue Devils aiming to build on strong foundation set by Elko, carried on by Diaz
The Blue Devils didn’t miss a beat with Manny Diaz as head coach. In his first season with the Blue Devils after head coach Mike Elko left for Texas A&M in the 2023 offseason, Diaz led the Blue Devils to five straight wins to start the season and finished with a 9-3 regular season record.
The Blue Devils' regular season successes fell flat come bowl season, as the Blue Devils were blasted by the Ole Miss Rebels 52-20 in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
The Blue Devils and Wolfpack will get the first chances to start the season strong, as both teams will play on Thursday, Aug. 28, to kick off the college football season.
The Wolfpack will look to get revenge against the Pirates at Carter-Finley Stadium, while the Blue Devils will take on Elon University at Wallace Wade Stadium.
>> Doeren on playing ECU in opener: 'We have a lot to prove in that football game'
Belichick and the Tar Heels will start their season on Labor Day, in Chapel Hill against the TCU Horned Frogs.
Read the schedule for all three Triangle college teams here.