Bill Belichick has every UNC fan ready to pay his buyout before December

Well, the Bill Belichick era at North Carolina has not gotten off to a good start, to say the least. The Tar Heels are 2-3 and got their doors blown off by Clemson in Week 6.

North Carolina has scored just 43 points against Power 4 opponents this season. Even with two victories of a combined score of 61-9 over lesser foes, the Tar Hell offense ranks well outside the FBS Top 50 under Belichick.

The defense has given up a combined 120 points to Power 4 opponents and at this point does not seem likely to record another win the rest of the season. Tar Heel fans seemingly have seen enough and didn't even bother to show up for the second half on Saturday with Clemson up 35-3.

But will the university pull the plug on the Belichick experiment so soon? One detail in his contract may force them to bite the bullet and be patient.

Bill Belichick buyout at UNC: How much Tar Heels would pay to fire HC

Ahead of the 2025 season, there was much speculation as to whether Belichick took the job at UNC just to spur an NFL team into making him an offer to return to the league where he won eight Super Bowls.

So, if he left on his own before June 1, he would've owed the school $10 million. Once that date passed, the buyout dropped to $1 million on his end. However, with the season underway Belichick now stands to make a substantial amount of money if the school wants him gone immediately.

If UNC were to buy out Belichick ahead of 2027, the 73-year-old would be owed north of $20 million. That would be one of the five highest buyouts in college football history.

While the goings seem to be real tough in Chapel Hill at the moment, the university will likely be asking its donors and boosters for patience. That may just come with a substantial price tag of being a college football laughing stock for the time being.