The preseason AP poll didn’t do North Carolina any favors on Monday.
The Tar Heels were left out of the top 25, which wasn’t a surprise. What did stand out was how the poll sharpened the picture of just how steep the climb looks for UNC in 2026. Three of the teams on the schedule are ranked to open the year, and two of them sit inside the top 10.
That starts with No. 4 Notre Dame on Oct.
- North Carolina already knew it would be facing the Fighting Irish on that date, but seeing Notre Dame crack the preseason top four only reinforces what kind of challenge is waiting in Chapel Hill.
The Irish are being viewed as a real national title contender.
The next major test comes later in the month when No. 7 Miami visits on Oct.
- The Hurricanes bolstered their offense with quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate, and they enter the season after finishing as runner-up last year.
They, too, are in the conversation for a national championship run.
Then there’s No. 24 Louisville, which comes to Chapel Hill on Nov.
- That’s the lowest-ranked team North Carolina will face from the preseason poll, but it still gives the Tar Heels another ranked opponent on a schedule that already looks brutal.
All three of those games will be played at home, which is at least one small break for UNC. But the bigger takeaway is unavoidable: this is a much tougher path than 2025, and it would be a rough one even for a team with plenty of margin for error.
Instead, the Tar Heels are entering the season with head coach Bill Belichick under heavy scrutiny. His job security is already in doubt, and the pressure only grows with a schedule that leaves very little room to breathe.
North Carolina’s chances of a bounce-back season have already been questioned, and the preseason poll only adds fuel to that view. If Belichick wants to be in Chapel Hill in 2027, he has to navigate this kind of slate and come out of it with real results. Odds are that the 74-year-old head coach won’t be in charge in Chapel Hill next season.
In Other News...
UNC Quarterback Decision Just Changed The Tar Heels' Week 1 Outlook
North Carolina has settled its quarterback situation for Week 1, and it comes with a little more certainty than the early buzz suggested. The Tar Heels announced that a sixth-year transfer will start against TCU, ending a competition that had appeared to tilt toward Miles O'Neill during the opening stretch of camp. Instead, the Wisconsin transfer won the job and now gets the first crack at leading the offense when the season opens.
O'Neill is still very much part of the conversation, though, and that matters for a team trying to smooth out the transition at the game's most important position. He is expected to be the backup and remains in the mix for playing time if the starter gets benched, so this is not necessarily a closed file so much as a first answer. For North Carolina, the bigger takeaway is that the Tar Heels can now start shaping Week 1 around a defined quarterback plan instead of a battle that had lingered into the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Malone Is Sending UNC Fans A Tough Early Message
Michael Malone is stepping into Chapel Hill with the kind of message fans often hear when a new era begins, but do not always want to absorb: the work comes first, and the results have to grow from it. As he gets ready for his debut season at North Carolina, Malone is pushing a long-term approach built around daily improvement rather than treating a championship as something that should arrive on schedule. That matters at a program that has already lived through a rough stretch, including a first-round tournament exit that helped bring about the coaching change.
There is reason for optimism, though, because Malone also brings a track record of recruiting success and is expected to help UNC stack talent in the 2027 class. The bigger question is how quickly all of that can be turned into a team that looks like a title contender again. For Tar Heels fans, the early message is less about instant gratification and more about patience, even as the pieces for a stronger future begin to come together. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs Offseason Additions Still Havent Silenced This Doubt
ESPNs latest Bracketology update gave North Carolina a little less room to breathe, slotting the Tar Heels as an 8-seed after they had been projected as a 7-seed two months ago. It is a small drop on paper, but it fits the uneasy tone around a team that has tried to bolster its roster in the offseason while still searching for the kind of confidence that comes with being viewed as a more secure tournament bet.
UNC did add Angelo Brizzi, Cameron Fens and Sayon Keita, giving the roster a different look heading into the season and some reason for optimism. Even so, the broader conversation has not fully moved off the same question: whether those additions are enough to quiet doubts about where the Tar Heels sit in the bracket and how tough their path could be if they wind up in a loaded region. [Read more 🡒]