Things are starting to just get downright embarrassing for North Carolina football. The Tar Heels dropped yet another game to a conference foe on Friday night, falling 21-18 to California on the road.
UNC is now 2-4 on the season with very little prospect for success the rest of the season. It has six games remaining with none standing out as obvious opportunities for a win.
Head coach Bill Belichick has done little to come up with answers for why his team is struggling so much in the ACC. It seems to be just a matter of time until the school has to cut ties with the eight-time Super Bowl champion and try again. But how long will it be until that happens?
What will be the final straw for UNC and Bill Belichick?
UNC and Belichick both released short statements on Oct. 8 backing each other but with the vibes of a married couple faking cordiality for the sake of the children in public.
"I'm fully committed to UNC Football and the program we're building here," Belichick's statement read.
"Coach Belichick has the full support of the Department of Athletics and University," UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham wrote in his.
The Tar Heels' next two games are against a ranked Virginia team at home and a scrappy Syracuse squad on the road. Those are two games that UNC probably loses but if they get blown out in either, there's a real possibility Belichick gets the boot just to put the program out of its misery. If he survives past that, the following week against Stanford (2-4) would probably be too embarrassing a loss to bear.
Is it smart for UNC to fire Bill Belichick midseason?
The Guardian's Ollie Connolly reported the day those statements were released that a decision on Belichick's future could be announced as soon as two weeks from then. That would line up with the Virginia game.
UNC making up its mind on getting rid of Belichick would mean triggering a roughly $20 million buyout clause in his contract or convincing the 73-year-old to leave on his own, which would mean he pays the school $1 million. Given the recent revelations on Pablo Torre Finds Out, which included Mike Lombardi going to Saudi Arabia to raise money for the football program and Jordon Hudson's hot mic during an NFL Films project...we're just not sure how much longer Carolina wants to deal with this sort of drama.
It's difficult to see a scenario in which UNC tolerates Belichick through the entire 2025-26 season. With pressure from donors and the fan base reaching a fever pitch, his seat will burst into flames without a win in the next three weeks.