Forget any dreams from the preseason about being in the national conversation as a possible contender.
Forget about how 2025 could be a launching pad for where North Carolina could go with Bill Belichick — with eight Super Bowl rings total and six as a head coach with the Patriots — leading it.
Instead, Belichick’s first season with the Tar Heels won’t even lead to bowl eligibility, with UNC securing a losing record after falling, 32-25, to rival Duke on Saturday.
Though a scenario still exists where North Carolina could sneak into a bowl game at 5-7 depending on the number of 6-6 teams, that remains unlikely, and it also still would require a win next week in their finale against North Carolina State.
“Just made too many mistakes, too many bad plays, obviously too many penalties,” Belichick said after North Carolina erased a 10-point deficit and took the lead midway through the fourth quarter before falling. “So that’s about the story. Really not a lot to add to that.”
With Duke trailing 25-24 in the fourth, the Blue Devils lined up for a 45-yard field goal, and instead of opting for the points and taking the lead, they executed a fake call and eventually took a seven-point lead after Anderson Castle rushed in for a one-yard touchdown and Duke converted the two-point conversion.
Gio Lopez finished with 204 passing yards, 20 rushing yards and two total touchdowns for UNC.
But it marked the latest setback for Belichick during his first campaign as a collegiate head coach, with storylines about everything happening off the field overshadowing the disappointing performances that started back during their opener against TCU and only continued spiraling from there.
The Post’s Edward Lewis reported Friday that Belichick’s daughter-in-law, Jen, yelled at Jordon Hudson inside Belichick’s office for nearly an hour following their Nov. 8 game against Stanford — taking jabs at her relationship with Belichick, her fashion choices and her body, Lewis reported.
Belichick also, on two different occasions throughout the season, needed to release statements reiterating his commitment to North Carolina, and the second one involved him pushing back against rumors of any interest in the Giants opening.
So, as of now and based on what he said in the statements, Belichick will be back in North Carolina for a second season.
They likely just won’t have a potential bowl game victory to build on heading into the offseason.
