Pat Narduzzi expects to face North Carolina in 2025 ACC Championship: 'You got Bill Belichick, you better be'

Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi not only believes that his team will compete for the ACC Championship in 2025, but also has a prediction on who his opponent will be. It’s not Clemson and Dabo Swinney or Miami and Mario Cristobal — but North Carolina and legendary coach Bill Belichick.

“I expect them to be in the championship game against Pitt this year,” he said at ACC media days on Wednesday. “You got Bill Belichick, you better be, right?”

Belichick spent more than two decades as the coach of the New England Patriots in the NFL, directing the team to six Super Bowl victories. He now prepares to enter his first season coaching college football after he and the Patriots mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the 2023 season.

Belichick certainly brings the resume with him due to his success in the NFL, including as an assistant for several years prior to becoming a head coach. However, whether that success will translate to the college level is a valid question.

The Tar Heels are coming off of a 6-7 finish to the 2024 season and certainly have a lot of areas to improve if they are to reach the ACC Championship game. However, the coaching change brought with it a massive roster overhaul, with 42 transfers coming in and 41 players leaving Chapel Hill.

That ranks North Carolina No. 8 according to On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings. Some of their biggest additions include cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, offensive tackle Daniel King and linebacker Andrew Simpson.

As for Pittsburgh, the Panthers are coming off of a slightly better 7-6 finish in their 10th season under Narduzzi. They at least bring back quarterback Eli Holstein and 14 total starters, but neither they nor the Tar Heels find themselves too high on anyone’s list of championship contenders for 2025.

Perhaps the experience of Belichick can be enough to lead North Carolina to a massive turnaround in Year 1, but one would think it’d be a couple of seasons before the team reaches its true potential under him. Either way, it will certainly make for an exciting storyline with many expecting success, including Narduzzi.

The Tar Heels don’t play Pittsburgh on their regular season schedule, so a meeting between the two would have to come in the title game per Narduzzi’s prediction. UNC opens up conference play on Oct. 4 against defending conference champ Clemson.