After revealing the date and time for the season opener and the date and opponent for the ACC opener last week, the ACC released the full schedule for each of their 17 teams on Monday night. Here is a full breakdown of the Tar Heels schedule for Bill Belichick’s first year in Chapel Hill.
September 1st: TCU
The Tar Heels open the season with the Horned Frogs in what will be the most hype season opener in program history on the first Monday night of the season. This will be a nice test to grade where the program is at under Belichick because the Horned Frogs are a team that is trending back in the right direction after a rough 2023 season following their trip to the national title game. If the Tar Heels can win this one, this should have them feeling pretty good heading into conference play regardless of what happens in Orlando.
September 6th: @Charlotte
After welcoming the 49ers to Chapel Hill last year, the Tar Heels will be going on the road to Charlotte to face another team that is undergoing a coaching change. The 49ers went out and brought in Tim Albin, a well-thought-of program builder who thrived at Ohio and will look to have the program competing immediately. Even with that, this is a game that the Tar Heels shouldn’t have much trouble winning if they are expecting to be competitive in their first season under Belichick.
September 13th: Richmond
The Spiders were a playoff team in the FCS this past season and won 10 games, but this is the easiest game on the Tar Heels schedule. There is absolutely no reason this team should come close to losing this game if they are wanting to make any sort of noise in the ACC.
September 20th: @ UCF
You could make the case that this is the toughest game on the Tar Heels’ non-conference since it is on the road, but, unlike TCU, this is a team that is having to navigate a coaching change. The team is welcoming back Scott Frost, who led them to a lot of success, but the pay off from his return might be felt more later in the season rather than early. That what the Tar Heels will be hoping is the case when they roll into Brighthouse Field, but even if not, this is a game that the Tar Heels should feel good about their chances in with Belichick in place.
September 27th: Bye Week
This is a perfectly timed bye week for the Tar Heels that will give them a chance to catch their breath after non-conference play and have two weeks to prepare for the Clemson Tigers, the team that will likely be the best that they face all season long.
October 4th: Clemson
The Tar Heels start the conference slate with their toughest game of the season when they welcome the Tigers to Kenan Stadium for the first time since 2019. That last time the two met in the friendly confines, the Tar Heels came within a 2-point conversion of beating the then No. 1 Clemson Tigers in regulation under a first year head coach. The hope is that they can recreate that magic and this time pull the upset over a Clemson team that will be favored to win the conference and make the College Football Playoff this year.
October 11th: Bye Week
Following the tough matchup with the Tigers, the Tar Heels will get another bye to recollect themselves and refocus for the sprint to the finish. This is
October 16th/17th: @California
This will be the Tar Heels first trip out to the West Coast since the conference realigned and this is the tougher of the two western based teams this upcoming season. The Golden Bears had a solid first season in the conference, making it to a bowl game despite a 2-6 conference record. The Golden Bears will be missing some key players who graduated or entered the transfer portal, but the hope for them is that the overhaul that they did through the portal will be enough to have them back in a bowl game. This will be a tough one, especially if it is a late night game, but with an extra week of preparation, the Tar Heels should find a way to win.
October 25th: Virginia
After coming back from the West Coast, the Tar Heels will have a little extra time to prepare for a rivalry matchup with Virginia. The Cavaliers surprised some people last year and the expectation is that they take another step this season under Tony Elliott especially after what they have been able to do in portal. This will be one of the stiffer home tests of the season for the Tar Heels if the Cavs do take that step that many are predicting, but will be one they should win if they want to compete in the ACC this season.
October 31st: @Syracuse
This is the first time that the Tar Heels will be facing a short week and it comes with what might be one of the toughest tests of the entire season in the Syracuse Orange. In Fran Brown’s first season at the helm, the Orange reached the ten win mark for the first time since 2018 and while there are going to be a lot of significant losses they have to offset this is still a team that has a chance tough out in the ACC. This will be a significant road test that the Tar Heels will look to pass and keep themselves in the conversation in the ACC.
November 8th: Stanford
Following what might be the second toughest test of the season on paper, the Tar Heels will return to Chapel Hill for what might be the easiest FBS tilt of the season. The Cardinal roll into 2025 after a rough first season in the ACC and this should be the easiest conference game on the schedule. The team lost some significant pieces to the portal, including starting quarterback Ashton Daniels meaning it could be another tough season for them and a very winnable game for the Tar Heels.
November 15th: @Wake Forest
The Tar Heels head back out on the road to begin a stretch that will feature three straight rivalry games to close the regular season. The Demon Deacons will be under new direction this season under first year head coach Jake Dickert and like the Tar Heels, they have undergone a complete overhaul of their roster through the transfer portal. It’s hard to get a beat on where exactly expectations will be for Wake this season and even more difficult to determine where they’ll be at this time. Still, this is one that you would like to win if you are the Tar Heels, especially at this point in the season.
November 22nd: Duke
The Tar Heels follow that trip to Winston-Salem by coming back home for Senior Day where they will battle for the Victory Bell for the first time that late in the season since this matchup closed the regular season. The Blue Devils are coming off of one of the best seasons in program history in Manny Diaz’s first season and are hoping to build on that. The team lost some significant pieces to graduation and the portal and they have not brought in a huge portal class. Last year, they were doubted, though, so this could still be a very solid team again this season that could test the Tar Heels.
November 29th: @NC State
As expected, the Tar Heels will close the season out with a road trip to Raleigh to face the hated NC State Wolfpack who will enter this season in a weird spot. After coming into last season with lofty expectations, Dave Doeren’s crew fell apart, finishing the year with a 6-7 record which has many questioning if the head coach should stick around after this coming season. Whenever this has happened in the past, Doeren has always found a way to swing things back in the right direction and with a mostly veteran group returning and the dominance that they have had recently in this rivalry, you could make the case that this is the second-toughest game on this schedule.
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