North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick came close but ultimately empty, in his pursuit of a first ACC win in Chapel Hill on Saturday during a 17-16 loss to the Virginia Cavaliers.
Belichick, or more specifically, Freddie Kitchens, aggressively gunned for a win, going for two in overtime but coming up short. The loss moves UNC to 2-5, but not all hope is lost as five games remain on the schedule.
CBS Sports’ Robby Kalland sees The Triangle matchups against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Duke Blue Devils, and NC State Wolf Pack as the last remaining hope for “Chapel Bill” to inspire any positivity for the 2025 season.
“A win on Saturday would've been huge for Belichick as it would've offered an opportunity to turn this season around and build some kind of momentum for 2026. He still has three in-state rivalry games to try to create that kind of positivity in the program, but each loss adds more questions even as the team shows some improvement,” Kalland wrote.
Belichick’s future with the program has been up in the air. There have been repeated awkward messages from North Carolina’s administration to reassure fans who have no idea how long Belichick will be in charge.
"Coach Belichick has the full support of the department of athletics and the university," UNC AD Bubba Cunningham said in a dry statement from the Tar Heels’ brain trust.
One NFL front office member questioned earlier in October if Belichick would even last past this year, claiming he knows “it's a transition year, but they aren't competitive.”
Since then, North Carolina has lost by a combined four points. But 0-3 in the ACC is 0-3. And the team’s only wins are against the Charlotte 49ers, one of the worst FBS teams in the country, and the FCS Richmond Spiders.