UNC Football’s 2025 Season Shocker: Unveiling a Record No Fan Expected

Five games into the season and the buzz surrounding Bill Belichick’s arrival at UNC feels more like a distant echo than the roar fans had hoped for. It’s hard not to feel that knot in your stomach as you watch the Tar Heels stumble through one of their most challenging starts in recent memory—offense sputtering, defense leaking yards like a sieve, and the scoreboard telling a harsh tale after that 38-10 drubbing by Clemson. Believe me, the lofty expectations tied to an NFL coaching legend haven’t manifested on the field here in Chapel Hill. When you dive into the numbers—adjusted offensive and defensive EPA both plunging past historic lows—it paints a dismal portrait that’s tough to shake off. UNC now sits alongside a tiny, ignoble group of teams in the College Football Playoff era that have posted efficiency ratings this poor, signaling deeper issues brewing beneath the surface. The road ahead is fraught with tough matchups, including trips to California and Syracuse, plus home battles with Virginia and Duke, leaving many of us wondering: Is there a turnaround in sight this season, or will this tough stretch define the Bill Belichick era in Carolina?
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The UNC football program, under new coach Bill Belichick, is not meeting preseason expectations after five games.
The Tar Heels are struggling significantly on both offense and defense, with historically poor performance metrics.
Following a 38-10 loss to Clemson, UNC is one of only 13 teams in the CFP era with such low efficiency ratings.
North Carolina’s schedule includes upcoming games against California, Virginia, and Syracuse.

There’s no hiding the fact that after five games, the Bill Belichick era in Chapel Hill is falling extremely short of preseason expectations.

Fans hoped that Belichick, an 8-time Super Bowl champion from across his nearly 50 years in the NFL, brought instant success with him to a starving, UNC football program.

After Saturday’s 38-10 loss to Clemson, it’s clear that on-field success still isn’t in Chapel Hill. Both the Tar Heels‘ offense and defense, are struggling at historic levels.

How much is North Carolina struggling exactly? UNC sports a -31.3 adjusted offensive EPA (expected points added) and -32.7 adjusted defensive EPA.

Through five games in the College Football Playoff era, the Tar Heels are one of just 13 teams to have EPA’s of -30 or worse, joining Kansas (three times), Rutgers and Colorado (twice each), Illinois, Oregon State, Georgia Tech and this year’s Oklahoma State squad.

Colorado’s 2021 squad enjoyed the best finish of teams with -30 EPA both offensively and defensively, suffering to a 4-8 record.

North Carolina gained just 270 yards against Clemson on Saturday, with most of them coming against reserves in garbage time. UNC allowed 488 yards – and 30+ points for the second-consecutive game, including 35 in the first half alone.

Looking ahead at the Tar Heels’ schedule, how many more wins do you think come to Chapel Hill? North Carolina enters another much-needed bye week, then travels out west for a Friday, October 17 matchup with the California Golden Bears. UNC returns home to face Virginia, one of the ACC’s greatest early-season surprises, eight days later.

The Tar Heels travel to Syracuse on Halloween, then come back to Kenan Stadium on November 8 to face Stanford. North Carolina heads to Wake Forest seven days later, hosts archrival Duke in its home finale on Nov. 22, then goes back to Raleigh a week later and faces NC State.

Will bright light ever shine itself on the UNC football program this season?

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