Kirk Herbstreit may have just laid out UNC’s path to College GameDay, and it runs through Clemson. If Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels can get past the Tigers, Chapel Hill could have a very different look in Week 5. But with UNC still carrying plenty of off-field noise, the Tar Heels will need the win to make the football story impossible to ignore.
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“If North Carolina beats Clemson, I would think Notre Dame at North Carolina is probably the leader in the clubhouse (for College GameDay),” InsideCarolina reported Herbstreit’s take on the Pat McAfee Show.
His ask is not a small one for the Tar Heels, who’ve historically been on the losing side against Clemson. Among experts and fans, the Clemson Tigers are the favored team touted to win. The Tar Heels have won just 19 times, as opposed to their 41 losses and ties only once. Despite his legendary NFL career, chances are Belichick’s experience could pale in front of Dabo Swinney.
The podcast shared the clip of his opinion on September 17 in an X post.
After news of his divided locker room erupting into a fight, reports of favoritism from parents of the players, and a disastrous 4-8 end to the 2025 season, winning against Swinney is a mammoth task.
The 2-0 start to this season indicates that the coaching and culture have improved for the better. However, it does not prove the Tar Heels will come unscathed and victorious in their trial by fire in Week 3, especially with the General Manager and defensive coordinator resigning not too long ago. ESPN’s prediction favors the Tigers.
Primarily based on the College Football Power Index and then some other variables, ESPN notes that Clemson has a 53.3% chance of winning, while North Carolina has a 46.7% chance. This prediction does slightly dull the optimism of Tar Heels fans, considering that the Tigers lost to LSU humiliatingly.
However, if the Tar Heels do pull through and win, for Belichick & Co., being picked as the destination for the road show is no less than a welcome respite. The legendary NFL coach has had trouble keeping his college career afloat, and the recent controversies, one involving his son, do not make it any easier to deal with.
UNC is neck-deep in an internal investigation over issues. Bill’s son Steve Belichick resigned as a result of some of this.
Secondly, a College GameDay visit is long overdue. While College GameDay makes trips to Chapel Hill for the basketball team frequently, the panel is a rare sight for the football team. The last time the ESPN show was truly on-site to feature the Tar Heels was on November 8, 1997. After that, they picked a neutral site, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, for the Tar Heels vs. South Carolina showdown in 2023.
The 74-year-old Belichick’s struggles in the second act of his coaching career at UNC have not only left fans in disbelief but also given him and the school a damaging reputation. Beating a favored team would not only build momentum toward a respectable record but also fuel playoff hopes.