Bill Belichick's UNC project heads into the Steel City on Friday, October 9, walking into a Pitt team that closed last season white-hot.
Bush’s Picks
UNCPITT
UNCPITT
OverUnder
Best BetPittsburgh
Pitt's the more established program right now, and it's not close — an 8-5 finish, a 5-game winning streak and continuity at quarterback and head coach beat a rebuild that's still finding its floor. Back the Panthers here; a road trip into a brutal ACC slate is exactly the spot where a still-gelling program like UNC gets exposed. There's upside on North Carolina if Edwards proves he's fully past the knee, but that's a bet on projection, not the safer read.
North Carolina
+Portal QB Billy Edwards Jr. brings real production
+Abou-Jaoude returns after ACC-best sack total
+Belichick says talent level is up from Year 1
−Finished 4-8, 2-6 ACC in Belichick's debut
−11 of 12 opponents came in off winning seasons
−Edwards still working back from a torn PCL
Pittsburgh
+Closed 2025 on a 5-game winning streak
+Beat 2 ranked ACC foes on the road last year
+Heintschel entrenched as starter with a year of reps
−Lost the Military Bowl to finish the season
−Total overhaul at WR and TE this offseason
−Top backfield addition Ferguson still integrating
This one's a proving ground for both programs. UNC stumbled to a 4-8 finish in Belichick's chaotic debut season, and the roster overhaul that followed says plenty about how far the program still has to climb — QB Billy Edwards Jr. arrived via the portal from Wisconsin, and veteran offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was brought in to fix an offense that managed just 19.3 points a game a year ago. Pitt, meanwhile, shows up with real momentum: an 8-5 season built on a 5-game winning streak and road wins over 2 ranked ACC opponents before a flat finish in the Military Bowl.
Sophomore Mason Heintschel takes over full-time after beating out 2 more experienced arms during his true freshman year, and Pitt's receiving corps got a total facelift this offseason — meaning the chemistry questions run just as deep in the Steel City as they do in Chapel Hill. Pitt still looks like the more finished product heading into the fall, largely because continuity at head coach and quarterback counts for a lot against a program still finding its footing.
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UNC North Carolina
PITT Pittsburgh
Where this gets interesting is the schedule math. UNC opened the year in Dublin against TCU and still has to survive Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami, Louisville and NC State somewhere along the way — 11 of its 12 opponents came into the season off winning campaigns. Pitt drew the friendlier trip through October, and if the Panthers are still rolling by the time UNC shows up, this could play more like a measuring-stick than a nail-biter.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Oct 2?vs Notre Dame—
Sep 19?@ Clemson—
Sep 12?vs East Tennessee State—
Aug 29?@ TCU—
Pittsburgh Panthers
Oct 2?@ Virginia Tech—
Sep 26?vs Bucknell—
Sep 17?vs Syracuse—
Sep 12?vs UCF—
Sep 5?vs Miami (OH)—
Recent form.
Don't sleep on North Carolina's front seven, though. Melkart Abou-Jaoude led the entire ACC in sacks a year ago and returns for a defense now coordinated by Steve Belichick, which is genuinely the foundation of whatever hope Chapel Hill has this fall. Pitt counters with a backfield still waiting on top recruit Damon Ferguson to fully integrate, so neither team is walking in with a finished product on both sides of the ball.
North Carolina Tar Heels
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Pittsburgh Panthers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Edwards is working his way back from a torn PCL, which makes his health and rust worth tracking all the way into fall camp, and it's a similar story in Pittsburgh, where a rebuilt receiving room needs real reps with Heintschel before this offense looks anything like last year's finishing kick. Whichever team is healthier and further along by kickoff probably walks away with this one.
