ESPN announces College Football Countdown Show on site of Bill Belichick North Carolina debut

ESPN will host a special one-hour College Football Countdown studio show live from Kenan Stadium on Monday, Sept. 1, ahead of North Carolina‘s highly-anticipated season opener against TCU, the Tar Heels announced on Thursday.

Not only does the matchup between Carolina and the Horned Frogs help ring in the beginning of the 2025 season, but it marks the first game of the Bill Belichick era at UNC. Belichick coached 24 seasons with the New England Patriots, where he won six Super Bowls and led the Pats to a 266-121 record. He now, however, embarks on a new journey in Chapel Hill.

ESPN’s Matt Barrie will host the show and will be joined by analysts Tedy Bruschi, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban, and college football insider Pete Thamel. Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit will call the game on Sept. 2, while Barrie and Howard will provide halftime coverage.

North Carolina hasn’t recorded a 10-win season since 2015. With Belichick at the helm now, fans and administration are hoping he can lead them to that mark once again.

Belichick will have all eyes on season opener

“Belichick signed a lot of talent and solid coordinators,” Phil Steele wrote in his College Football Preview Magazine. “The Tar Heels also draw a favorable ACC schedule, facing most of the bottom teams and avoiding Miami, SMU and Louisville. A good portion of their incoming transfers have little experience but Belichick develops players and puts them in the right spots. This is a wild card team in the ACC but off a losing season, the Tar Heels are my No. 6 Most Improved Team and could be a surprise ACC contender.”

On the other side of the ball, TCU and head coach Sonny Dykes are coming off a 9-4 campaign with a win over Louisiana in the New Mexico Bowl. The Horned Frogs have enjoyed great success over the past three seasons, including a trip to the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship game.

The college football world is expected to have all eyes on the first game of the Belichick era, especially after the tumultuous offseason centered around the NFL coaching legend and girlfriend Jordon Hudson. With rumors swirling of a potential Hulu series on Belichick and the North Carolina program, that opening game should be an absolute spectacle.

Kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 2. North Carolina has won three consecutive season openers dating back to 2022.