Bill Belichick's mess at North Carolina: How long will this failed experiment continue in Chapel Hill?

Is this the beginning of the end of the Bill Belichick era at North Carolina here after just one season?

It might seem preposterous to make such a value judgment after five games, but what other conclusions are we supposed to make? Clemson beat North Carolina 38-10 on Saturday in a game that was less about the get-right game for the Tigers and more about the emptied-stadium mess that the Tar Heels have become after a 2-3 start that leaves so many more questions than answers.

This is what happens when the high point for North Carolina on Saturday was a fun back-and-forth exchange on ESPN's "College GameDay" where Belichick praised Nick Saban, who responded, "I never thought in all the time we've been friends that I'd say you're full of s—, but I learned more from you than you ever learned from me." 

We still don't know what Belichick has learned about the college game, however, and that is the issue. Belichick, 73, is 302-165 – a .647 winning percentage – with six Super Bowl championships as a head coach and two more as an assistant coach at the NFL level. Yet it's difficult to imagine North Carolina making a bowl game this season. 

Clemson exposes UNC, Bill Belichick in blowout 

To be clear, we weren't expecting Clemson – which endured a dreadful 1-3 September led to questions about two-time national championship coach Dabo Swinney – to lose to the Tar Heels. 

But 35-3 at halftime? Clemson had six plays of 20 yards or more, Cade Klubnik was 21 of 23 for 251 yards and four TDs, and the Tar Heels were outgained 367-78 in the first two quarters. At that point, it would have been more enjoyable to listen to a podcast featuring Belichick and Saban.

The Tigers did not pour it on. Max Johnson (26 of 42, 213 yards) forged on despite no running game. The Tar Heels finished with 57 rushing yards in the loss. Belichick played until the last snap – the Tar Heels even took a timeout with one second remaining, but by then Keenan Memorial Stadium had long been empty. 

Accountability comes with accounting, and the numbers were coming out from the previous regime. Mack Brown compiled a 44-34 record from 2019-24, but the university parted ways with Brown after a 6-7 season in 2024. Brown inherited a two-win team from 2018 after Larry Fedora was fired. Fedora and Brown at least made the ACC championship game, and they lost to Clemson by an average of 18 points in those games. Those were championship-caliber Tigers' teams, however. In his six-year return run at North Carolina, Brown lost by at least 25 points once. Belichick has done it three times against the first three P4 opponents he's faced. 

There is no "excuse" that fits for North Carolina. Belichick was hired on Dec. 11, 2024, and the Tar Heels reportedly added 70 new players from the transfer portal. General manager Michael Lombardi – who worked with Belichick in New England from 2014-16 – assisted in that roster overhaul.  

At this point, however, it looks more like a NFL team that's going to finish 3-14 and hope for the No. 1 pick. That's not how college football works. It's about the players, and Belichick hasn't made the pieces fit like he did in New England.

MORE: Biggest blowouts of Bill Belichick's coaching career 

Will North Carolina make a bowl game with Bill Belichick? 

This was the last high-profile game for the Tar Heels the rest of the season; other than Friday night games against Cal and Syracuse. There are no ranked opponents left on the schedule, but their remaining opponents entered Week 6 with a combined record of 21-13 (.618). 

The season-ending stretch against in-state rivals Wake Forest, Duke and NC State will be telling. The Tar Heels beat the Demon Deacons but lost to the Blue Devils and Wolfpack last season. Belichick likely would have to go 2-1 in that stretch to push the Tar Heels to a bowl game. 

North Carolina remaining schedule 

How will Bill Belichick era end in Year 1? 

Belichick was 5-11 in his first season at New England in 2000 before the dynasty was launched the following season with Tom Brady. Yet there are four questions that will be posed throughout the rest of the season. 

How committed is Belichick to a rebuild? This remains the biggest question. If North Carolina fires Belichick, then the school admits this was a huge mistake. Perhaps Belichick guides the Tar Heels to a 4-8 or 5-7 record – which would be comparable to Colorado's 4-8 record under Deion Sanders in 2023. There will need to be tangible results in Year 2, however. That means at least a bowl game.  

Will Belichick go back to the NFL? Belichick needs 26 wins to catch Don Shula – who has the NFL record with 328 wins – on the all-time list. That also would be a multi-year commitment, and Belichick was not hired after the 2023 or 2024 seasons. Belichick was 29-38 in four seasons without Tom Brady in New England from 2020-23. This is probably not going to happen. 

Will Belichick retire? It's the easiest answer for all parties involved. Yes, the one-year stint would be remembered as a failure, but how many people know Bill Walsh's record at Stanford from 1992-94? 

What is Jordon Hudson's role in the future? We have no idea. Hudson and Belichick were on the cover of "US Weekly" and that relationship will continue to be tabloid fodder, but there are no clues as to how that would influence Belichick's future with North Carolina.