Bill Belichick makes college football debut with UNC Tar Heels

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — College football is back, and the University of North Carolina is under the bright lights this season.

Legendary coach Bill Belichick makes his debut with the Tar Heels Monday night.

“I’ve been through a lot of opening days and every one is the same,” Belichick said last week.

It may be the same for Belichick, but this opening day is certainly different for UNC.

“Usually we’re already thinking about basketball, so for football to be the topic of conversation, it is strange, but we are excited,” said Susan Moore, a co-chair of the Charlotte Carolina Club, UNC’s alumni chapter in Charlotte.

Moore, of course, decided to bring out her 8-foot Rameses the Ram inflatable for the new coach’s debut.

“We’ve known about Belichick and what he brings to the NFL football,” Moore said. “Let’s see what he brings to college football.”

Despite Belichick’s six Super Bowl victories, there seems to be some skepticism among the fan base.

“Everyone is just waiting to see, because no one knows what to expect from him, someone who’s never coached in college, and they’re waiting to see what this legend at the NFL level can do at the college level with a bunch of 18-year-olds,” said Brett Jensen, a former sportswriter and radio host.

UNC hasn’t won a conference title since 1980, but win or lose, Belichick’s already succeeded in one area: vaulting the Tar Heels into the national spotlight.

“[Monday night’s game against TCU] is the only game in the country, so the entire sports world is going to be watching,” Jensen said. “Just by that alone, sort of like what Deion Sanders has done to Colorado, [fans] think Belichick, or hope Belichick, can do the same thing here.”