Bill Belichick finally provides UNC with a pulse, but now he has to earn that $10 million paycheck

The return of Bill Belichick to the North Carolina sidelines in 2026 has clearly not drummed up the type of national attention that folks in Chapel Hill were anticipating when he was hired almost two years ago.

When the Tar Heels took to the field in Ireland on Saturday afternoon against TCU to kick off the college football season, the focus was more on the offseason turmoil than on Belichick roaming the sidelines.

That turmoil remains a problem and is not going away anytime soon.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK WITH ALL EYES ON BILL BELICHICK AS COURTROOM DRAMA HEATS UP But, that doesn’t mean the 15-10 win over TCU will go unnoticed.

For the first time in his tenure at North Carolina, this Belichick-led team looked as though it had a pulse.

The offseason has been filled with questions about general manager Michael Lombardi, who was placed on administrative leave amid the school’s ongoing investigation into an HR complaint, as well as Belichick’s son remaining on medical leave, forcing his father to take on a larger role calling the defense.

But, compared to what we all witnessed after the first quarter during their 2025 matchup with TCU, it does look as though North Carolina is a tougher team in 2026.

So, I guess not all is lost in Chapel Hill.

It obviously doesn’t help gauge how much they've actually improved when you’re facing a TCU team that had to replace starting quarterback Josh Hoover after he transferred to Indiana.

UNC WANTED THE DEION SANDERS EFFECT WITH BILL BELICHICK, ALONG WITH WINS.

IT GOT SOMETHING MUCH DIFFERENT Thankfully for North Carolina fans who are trying their hardest to buy into this team in 2026, Belichick went out and hired Bobby Petrino to lead his offense.

Yes, in case you were wondering, that's the same Petrino who crashed out at Arkansas .

But, Bobby could end up being the most pivotal hire that the UNC coach has made during his short stint in college football.

Will it matter that the Tar Heels looked like a different team compared to what we witnessed last year? I have no idea, given who is on their schedule this season.