Bill Belichick riles up North Carolina fans with probably-too-aggressive CFP promise

One day, the North Carolina Tar Heels will make the College Football Playoff. I am not saying soon, but time is on their side for it to eventually happen. In the playoff era, UNC has played in one New Year's Six bowl, but that was during COVID. Right now, the Tar Heels need to get back to being more than just a bowl-caliber team. It is the plan for incoming head coach Bill Belichick to change their fortunes.

During the early stages of Monday night's College Football Playoff National Championship Game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, Belichick tweeted out a picture of the playoff trophy from inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with one word attached to it: Soon. With a Go Heels hashtag and a few at's along the way, I do get the gesture. I also was not born last night. UNC is not close at al.

Regardless, that should be the goal for North Carolina under Belichick, to do the improbable tomorrow. Just do it. For that to happen, North Carolina needs to start by doing the improbable today. The good news for UNC is the Tar Heels play in a conference where the climb to the top is not as insurmountable as it seems to be in the Big Ten or SEC. The bad news is the ACC may only get two in.

Here is the tweet in question with Belichick proclaiming North Carolina will be playoff-bound soon.

With Belichick firmly in his 70s, does he have enough time on his side to make this dream a reality?

Bill Belichick says North Carolina will make the College Football Playoff

In the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, most people would have forecasted at least half the field right, seven if you really liked Boise State to come out of the Group of Five. Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Texas were easy picks, like shooting fish in a barrel. While Boise State, Clemson and Tennessee would have been good picks, no one saw the other three.

With Arizona State winning the Big 12, as well as Indiana and SMU being playoff-viable throughout, it gives teams like North Carolina the hope they are looking for. In most years, the Big Ten and SEC will get between seven and nine teams in. Last year, it got seven. The Group of Five obviously gets one, leaving the other two to four bids to go to the ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame. That group got four in.

As far as if UNC can ever get to the top of the ACC, I am not ruling it out. The Tar Heels won the old Coastal Division a few times in its existence. That got them a bid to the conference title bout in Charlotte. From there, can you put together a 10-win or better season? If SMU could do it, then why can't UNC? My biggest concern is North Carolina has to overcome a plethora of quality ACC teams.

For starters, I don't see Clemson falling off anytime soon. I am bullish on SMU next season, as well as teams like Georgia Tech, Louisville and Miami. From there, can UNC at least get into the fringe playoff conversation like we saw at times out of ACC teams such as Pitt and Syracuse? That should be a goal for year one under Belichick. Can his Tar Heels team be as good as Syracuse was under Fran Brown?

Ultimately, if Belichick is as committed to making North Carolina an ACC power as I think he is, I would be shocked if UNC does not field a playoff-caliber team at least once during a projected five-year run. North Carolina would almost certainly get in as an ACC champion, but maybe the Tar Heels can crash the playoff party one year because of great quarterback play and a weak field outside of the top 10.

If I had to put a year on it, let's say that UNC could be vying for a playoff spot as soon as maybe 2027.