The last time North Carolina took the field, the Tar Heels walked away with a frustrating result. UNC had Clemson on the ropes after building a solid lead, but the Tigers stormed back and handed Carolina its first loss of the season. It was the kind of game that felt there for the taking, especially with Clemson off to a start that has not exactly been dominant.
Now the Tar Heels are coming out of their second and final bye week of the year, which should have given them a chance to clean things up and make some adjustments. The problem is what comes next. Later today, Carolina hosts Notre Dame in Kenan Stadium, and on paper this looks like the biggest challenge of UNC’s season.
The Irish arrive with plenty of momentum. Notre Dame was the last team left out of last year’s College Football Playoff, and it entered this season as a national title contender.
So far, the Irish have backed that up. They are 4-0 and ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25, with only one game that was even remotely close.
That came against Michigan State, and Notre Dame still won by 17 while holding the Spartans to 10 points.
The bigger issue for UNC is what Notre Dame has done on defense. Across four games, the Irish have allowed just 33 points. That is a tough matchup for a Tar Heels offense that has not exactly been lighting up the scoreboard.
So the day’s question is simple: who you got?
For me, it has to be Notre Dame. I’ve been skeptical of this UNC team all season, even after the strong win over TCU to open the year.
And if I were filling out a playoff bracket right now, I might even pick Notre Dame to win the whole thing. Even if I thought North Carolina was a genuinely strong team, I’d still lean toward the Irish in this one.
My pick: Notre Dame 42-6.
In Other News...
UNC Suddenly Has A Billy Edwards Problem It Cant Ignore
The night at Notre Dame laid bare a few issues North Carolina can no longer treat as one-off problems. Billy Edwards was under constant pressure, the Tar Heels struggled to protect him, and early turnovers helped tilt the game before it ever settled in. With the rushing attack limited and the defense stretched, it was the kind of performance that can leave a coach sorting through more than one concern at once.
Bill Belichick pointed straight at the passing game and the offensive line afterward, and it was hard to argue with the diagnosis. The Tar Heels need cleaner pockets and a steadier start from their quarterback, but they also need the offense to give the defense some help after a night when both sides were exposed. What happened against a top-three opponent may end up looking less like a bad loss than a warning about what still has to be fixed. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Changed The Season Debate In A Way Fans Noticed
North Carolinas loss to Notre Dame still left room for a different kind of takeaway. The Tar Heels were beaten 37-26, but for long stretches they were more competitive with the third-ranked Irish than many expected, giving the game a very different feel than a routine blowout against a top-tier opponent.
For a team trying to steady its season, that matters. Even with the mistakes that surfaced along the way, this was the kind of showing that can change how the rest of the schedule is viewed, with the conversation shifting toward whether Carolina can still get to .500 and keep a bowl bid in reach. [Read more 🡒]
North Carolina Just Lost A Recruiting Battle Fans Were Watching
Jordan Page made his choice after taking official visits to both North Carolina and UConn, and the five-star wing has now given the edge to the Huskies. The 6-foot-5 standout from IMG Academy is ranked No. 10 overall in the 2027 class, which made this one of the more closely watched recruiting battles for Tar Heels fans looking to see how the program stacked up against another national power for an elite perimeter talent.
For North Carolina, the miss lands with extra weight because Page brings the kind of length and two-way profile that fits the modern game and would have been an appealing addition on the wing. The scouting read on him points to a player whose competitiveness meshes well with UConn's style, even as his offensive game still has room to grow, and that combination helped shape a recruitment the Tar Heels were in until the end. [Read more 🡒]