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“TH Tribune Podcast” Ep. 9: Doc Kennedy, writer of Good, Bad and Ugly Reports after #UNC FB games
Aug 25, 2026
Listen to the previous episodes of the "Tar Heel Tribune Podcast" at this link: https://tarheeltribune.com/2026/08/18/tar-heel-tribune-podcast/
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0:00
All right, let's do it. It's the Tarhill
0:02
Tribion podcast along with RL Binham who
0:04
is the founder and publisher of
0:05
tarhilltribune.com. My name is Britt
0:07
Whitmire. We'll talk about our guests in
0:08
just a moment. Catch up on some good
0:10
stuff at tarhillion.com right now,
0:12
including the first loss of the season
0:13
for the women's soccer team and the
0:15
men's soccer team still looking for
0:17
their first victory of the season. Now,
0:19
and there's a lot of great stuff on
0:20
there that will get you ready for the uh
0:23
big game in Dublin on Saturday against
0:25
TCU. And that's what we're going to do
0:26
right now with our guest Doc Kennedy.
0:28
Doc has been an observer and a commenter
0:30
on Carolina athletics for a long time,
0:32
providing that good, the good, the bad,
0:34
and the ugly column for tarhillion.com,
0:37
which he will do again this year. Doc,
0:39
welcome to the Tarhill Tribune podcast.
0:43
>> Thank you, Britt. Glad to be here.
0:45
Excited to kick off in Dublin this
0:47
weekend.
0:49
>> Yeah, Doc, I've always enjoyed your
0:50
insights on the reports, postgame
0:52
reports. Uh uh and for the sake of Tory
0:56
Hill fans, hopefully there'll be less of
0:57
the bad and the ugly side this season,
1:00
but I'm a bit pessimistic. We'll see how
1:03
that goes. But um I'm ready to watch a
1:06
game rather than the 10 minutes of
1:09
practice here and there that they've let
1:10
us watch. Uh obviously it's not quite
1:14
the circus atmosphere of last season,
1:16
but good share of drama, but uh TCU's
1:20
seven and a half point favorite. I don't
1:22
know how you guys feel, but it winning
1:24
in Dublin or at least losing and playing
1:28
competitively unlike last season seems
1:31
like it'd be huge in the trajectory of
1:33
the season considering you got Clemson
1:36
and Notre Dame coming soon after that.
1:38
How do how do you see that, Tom?
1:42
>> Well, you know, we'll always have that
1:45
first drive against TCU from last season
1:47
that that will always live in our
1:49
hearts.
1:51
You know, I was thinking back I look at
1:52
that seven and a half point spread and
1:55
uh of Carolina's eight losses last
1:57
season, only three fell within that
1:59
spread. So, um if if we can
2:04
get things kicked off that way, if
2:06
Carolina can keep it within a touchdown,
2:08
uh given all the new faces and all the
2:11
uncertainty and all the swirl that's
2:13
been going on, I think that would be a
2:14
great Saturday um to to keep it
2:18
competitive.
2:20
Yeah, we'll we'll see how that goes. And
2:22
then of course, uh we're recording on
2:25
Tuesday. Wednesday marks 30 days since
2:28
uh Michael Lombard's administrative
2:30
leave began. And according to UNCC HR
2:33
policy, uh these investigations should
2:36
exceed shouldn't exceed 30 days. So, we
2:39
may be about to get a conclusion on
2:41
this. Uh maybe a little hint is that
2:43
Lombardi appeared on the weekly radio
2:45
show last season with Jones Angel. It's
2:47
already announced that Pelich will
2:50
appear regularly this season instead. Uh
2:53
if he does it return, is it actually a
2:56
positive considering his reputation in
2:58
many areas, including talent evaluation?
3:00
What do you think,
3:04
Doc?
3:05
>> Well, I think uh you know, Lombardi's
3:09
impact on the program has yet to show
3:13
the fruition. I think folks thought it
3:15
would when we finally went to a general
3:17
manager. Uh and and of course it's not
3:20
just Lombardi's absence, it's Steve
3:21
Bichc's absence as well. Um so there's a
3:25
lot of things having to be filled in at
3:27
this point. I I don't know whether it'll
3:29
be a positive or a negative. I think
3:31
that as you start getting ready to
3:33
actually strapping on pads and playing
3:36
some actual football, the general
3:38
manager's role probably lessens and the
3:41
onfield coaching becomes so much more
3:43
important. So really kicking off this
3:46
week through the next 14 weeks, I would
3:49
far more be concerned about Steve
3:51
Bellichic's athletes than I would
3:52
Michael Lombardi.
3:53
>> Yeah, Billy Edwards Jr. was named the
3:55
starting quarterback for the North
3:56
Carolina Tar Heels. This is a guy who's
3:58
23 years old. He's been around the
4:00
block. He's played several different
4:01
places including Wisconsin, including
4:03
Wake Forest. Uh great story at
4:05
tarhilltribune.com about him making like
4:07
a thousand different flash cards. He
4:10
seems to be a very detail-oriented guy.
4:12
He seems to be the kind of guy that
4:13
really has a decision-making is what I
4:15
hear a lot as far as one of his great
4:17
attributes. Any sense of how he and
4:19
Bobby Petrino are going to interact
4:20
going into this game on Saturday?
4:28
You know,
4:30
it's when you've got a guy like Billy
4:33
Edwards who's been wellraveled. He's
4:36
worked for a lot of different guys, so
4:38
uh and had to adjust to a lot of new
4:41
situations. So, I think that really
4:43
works well in his favor. Uh obviously,
4:47
he uh gives off some Andy Dalton vibes
4:50
when you look at him, some some red
4:52
rifle sort of vibes when you look at
4:54
him. And I think that uh his experience
4:58
and his uh
5:01
having taken snaps at the P4 level are
5:04
are probably going to be there early. Of
5:07
course, you know, you hear that Miles
5:08
O'Neal has looked great in spots. Um but
5:12
uh I I think that it's it's good to go
5:15
ahead and establish Billy Edwards as the
5:18
quarterback uh and give him the
5:21
opportunity. You know, I think about
5:23
last season's quarterbacks with Gio
5:25
Lopez and Max Johnson, both of whom
5:28
appear that they're going to be starters
5:30
for the upcoming year for their
5:32
respective teams. Of course, Gio at Wake
5:35
Forest and and Max at Georgia Southern.
5:38
I'm not sure that Billy Edwards is an
5:40
upgrade over either of those, but you do
5:43
like that experience. You like the
5:46
fact that he's worked with different
5:48
guys. And to RL's uh fabulous piece
5:51
there, the fact that he's willing to put
5:54
in the work to to get what needs to be
5:56
done to learn Katrino's offense says a
5:58
lot for that kid.
6:00
>> And it's it seems like the a choice was
6:02
made based on his experience and also
6:05
the fact that he maybe doesn't make as
6:08
many mistakes as the others possibly
6:10
made in practice, which is key because I
6:13
think the mistakes killed Carolina
6:15
against TCU last year. And you mentioned
6:18
the Steve Bellichic situation. Uh
6:23
Bill Bichic wouldn't even say whether
6:25
he's going to be calling defensive plays
6:27
against ECU, TCU or or what's going to
6:30
happen. He wouldn't say he wouldn't give
6:33
an update about the health situation.
6:35
Like you said, that that seems to be
6:37
concerning there, but all the players
6:39
are saying the right things. Uh it I do
6:43
you think it'll have a big impact on
6:45
Saturday night or Saturday?
6:48
Well, you know, the good news is is that
6:50
you've got a head coach that knows a
6:52
thing or two about defense. So, if
6:54
you're going to have an absence
6:56
somewhere, uh, that's probably the the
6:59
place you want to do it. It really does
7:01
seem like the rest of the staff has come
7:03
together. Uh, I'm quite sure that at the
7:07
end of the day, Bill Bich is is going to
7:10
have the ultimate call uh on what goes
7:12
on the defensive side of the football.
7:14
And of course, football too is an area
7:16
where so much of the coaching is done at
7:21
the position coach level. So what's
7:24
actually going on the situational
7:26
football? Uh I I think Bill Bich should
7:31
be able to help navigate that and lessen
7:34
that impact some although you know
7:36
obviously if you have a coordinator
7:38
that's not there uh that that's less
7:40
than an ideal situation.
7:43
>> Yeah. What are your some of your
7:44
concerns coming in? For for me, I'd say
7:47
that other than wide receiver, running
7:49
back, defensive line, the depth is going
7:52
to be very young. Um, particularly
7:54
offensive line. I mean, and then
7:57
entering preseason camp, tight end
7:59
looked like it was going to be one of
8:00
the strongest groups, but now Jackson
8:03
Warren and Jordan Washington are hurt,
8:05
and now it's one of the thinner guy
8:07
groups, and they really need Shelani
8:09
Thurman to have a big year. What are
8:11
your some some of your concerns coming
8:13
in?
8:14
>> It's kind of like uh Cubs starting
8:16
pitching, right Arl? You know, you
8:18
thought it was going to be a strength
8:19
coming into the season and then uh
8:21
you've got a dozen guys on IIL at some
8:23
point. Uh you know, I I think that um
8:28
and folks out there, I'm a Cubs fan,
8:30
too. This is something that RL and I
8:32
share the the the joy and tragedy of
8:34
being Cubs fans. Um,
8:37
you know, I I think that
8:41
for all of the great pieces that there
8:44
are individually, you've got a guy like
8:46
Jordan Schiff coming back, you got a guy
8:47
like Dean Jun coming back, you got a guy
8:50
like uh Melcart Abuaj coming back.
8:54
You've got some great individual pieces,
8:56
but I think the number one concern for
8:59
me is the offensive line. You've got to
9:01
open holes for June and the and the
9:03
running backs. You've got to keep
9:06
pressure off Edwards so that he can make
9:09
good throws. And
9:12
there's really not been a lot said about
9:15
the offensive line through camp. Uh and
9:18
and that's a little concerning to me.
9:20
You you hope that that they would uh
9:22
have some improvement in that area. Like
9:26
you said, the injuries in the tight end
9:28
room are concerning at this point. I
9:31
think defensively uh bit by bit that
9:35
should be a relatively stronger unit
9:39
compared to everything else. But you hit
9:42
it on the head. The quality depth is
9:44
what really concerns me there. And uh
9:47
the fact that a number of publications
9:50
have mentioned that Carolina is one of
9:53
the least experienced squads in all of
9:57
power four football. So, uh, just the
10:00
fact that you don't have a lot of guys
10:02
who've taken a lot of quality,
10:04
meaningful snaps at this level, um,
10:07
that's probably the most concerning
10:09
part.
10:10
Yeah, dubtailing on what you said about
10:12
the offensive line. Christo Kelly, Aiden
10:14
Banfield have got to stay healthy uh for
10:19
Carolina to be a force up front and
10:20
Bobby Patrino a main part main uh part
10:25
of a productive Bobby Patrino offense is
10:28
a good running game and good pass uh
10:31
blocking. And if those guys aren't
10:33
healthy, that's going to be a problem.
10:36
Jordan Hall's going to have to be solid.
10:37
And there, like you said, if any
10:40
injuries there, the reserves are young
10:42
and depth is thin and it's going to be a
10:44
problem. Y
10:47
my uh my high school coach said that uh
10:50
you can't win the Kentucky Derby riding
10:52
a mule. You got to have some
10:53
thoroughbreds. Uh and I'm just not sure
10:56
how many thoroughbreds are in that
10:58
starting gate for the Tarheelss across
11:00
all 22 players. So, uh, and and then if
11:04
any of those guys get hurt or you start
11:07
getting into situations where those guys
11:09
are just taking so many snaps and they
11:11
start getting winded that I really am
11:13
concerned about that level of of quality
11:16
depth, you know, that uh just beyond
11:20
some of the stars that we talked about
11:21
before and the guys that are proven at
11:23
this level. Um,
11:26
beyond that, some guys are really going
11:29
to have to step up and exceed what they
11:33
have done prior to coming to Chapel
11:34
Hill.
11:35
>> I want to base I want to I want to kind
11:37
of base on what you guys just said there
11:38
about the offense. I'm worried about the
11:40
defense. I think a lot of people are
11:42
worried about the defense, not only
11:43
because that defensive coordinator, we
11:44
talked about uh the situation there, but
11:47
I think that's a big question mark right
11:49
now. And if for some reason this gets
11:51
into a shootout where you have to
11:52
outscore the other team, I don't think
11:54
that's a good place for Carolina to be
11:55
in, Doc.
11:59
>> Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, I I
12:02
think a lot of folks are going to give a
12:04
lot of credit to Bobby Patrino being
12:07
there and having a better offense than
12:09
Carolina had last year in the Freddy
12:10
Kitchens. They had one of the worst
12:11
offenses in all of FBS last year in
12:15
terms of production as well as scoring.
12:17
They averaged less than 20 points a game
12:20
last year. Uh this year, you know,
12:23
they're facing a much tougher schedule,
12:25
a tougher climb, uh with some guys that
12:29
haven't been around. So, I I'm less
12:32
worried about the guys that have been
12:33
around because in college football, in
12:36
fact, all of college athletics today,
12:38
whether you were on that squad last year
12:40
or not really doesn't matter. Teams just
12:42
go out and reload. you know, ask uh
12:44
Persign Netti in Indiana what that's
12:46
like just to reload every year. But, uh,
12:49
you know, the bigger thing is more what
12:52
kind of quality is there? And and Brit,
12:54
I share your concern about the defense.
12:56
Don't don't get me wrong in that there
13:00
are not concerns about the defense, too.
13:02
I just think that uh there are bigger
13:04
question marks about the offense and the
13:07
fact that I I think people maybe have a
13:09
little more confidence in the defense
13:10
based on how that team and how that side
13:13
of the ball improved going down the
13:16
stretch last year uh as a whole. I think
13:20
there's probably a a larger familiarity
13:23
with what that defense might be able to
13:26
do and with some of the pieces that are
13:28
coming back as opposed to the offense. I
13:30
think I think the bigger question marks
13:32
the bigger question marks are on the
13:33
offensive side of the football, but that
13:35
doesn't mean that there aren't plenty on
13:36
the defensive side as well.
13:39
>> Yeah. I mean, Milkart Agility uh has to
13:42
be more consistent in the defensive end
13:44
spot. I mean, he was great in certain
13:46
games, but maybe a lot of those sack
13:49
sacks came maybe against not the best
13:52
competition.
13:53
And uh what's going to really be helpful
13:56
is this Penn State transfer Jaylen
13:58
Harvey. If he could be a force on at the
14:00
other end, that'll make me cart's job
14:04
easier. Um you talk about concerns.
14:08
Uh I'm pretty confident with the
14:11
linebackers Payton Sealman. Uh we talked
14:15
to him a couple weeks ago. Belich called
14:18
him a throwback and he he's it sounds
14:20
like he's an outstanding uh transfer.
14:24
And then Derek McDonald, they they look
14:26
solid. I worry about the defensive
14:29
backfield. Uh Trey Miller
14:33
had his struggles last year and I just
14:36
worry that uh TCU might be trying to
14:39
pick on him a little bit. Uh and that
14:45
wouldn't be good. Hopefully Tre Miller's
14:47
better and hopefully Payton Waters can
14:49
be better, but we'll have to see.
14:52
>> Well, if you kind of think about it as
14:53
as a pyramid, um I I think the the
14:57
defense is strongest in the front,
15:00
somewhat less strong uh with in the
15:03
linebacker core. And then of course the
15:04
biggest question is going to be, as you
15:06
said, in the defensive backfield. Very
15:08
excited about Sealman transferring from
15:10
Richmond. Uh but that is FCS football
15:13
and he's going to have to step up now
15:14
and and you know show that he can do
15:17
this at the FBS level. Everything you've
15:20
heard about this kid is fantastic. So it
15:22
it's just going to be really interesting
15:23
to see how he makes that jump and and
15:25
that transition. I was thinking about
15:27
that that it's something that we see a
15:29
lot in basketball where kids come up
15:32
from lower levels from from uh outside
15:36
the power four, power five and and make
15:38
an impact on the basketball floor. Be
15:40
really interesting to see uh more of
15:43
these kids that really excel at the FCS
15:46
level coming up to FBS and how they
15:48
perform there. And and I think Payton
15:50
will be a fantastic uh experiment on how
15:54
that goes. Everybody, Go ahead, Ariel.
15:57
>> Going back to Go ahead. Go ahead.
15:59
>> Everybody seems to be saying
16:00
>> back to the running backs.
16:01
>> Go ahead. Go ahead, Ariel.
16:04
>> Going back to the running backs, that
16:07
seems like a really deep room. Uh
16:10
Benjamin Hall, it sounds like it had a
16:13
tremendous
16:15
uh preseason camp. We saw the flashes
16:18
from De Man June
16:21
uh and also Jaylen Miguel. All three of
16:24
those were at media availabilities.
16:27
And that may not seem important, but in
16:31
the Bichc
16:33
era, if a guy shows up at a media
16:36
availability,
16:38
he's going to play and he's probably
16:40
going to have a significant uh
16:44
role role.
16:46
But then there's no telling about I
16:49
don't know if you've heard about this
16:50
LSU transfer Caleb Jackson who was
16:53
supposed to come in with a lot of
16:55
potential
16:57
but he came to camp overweight
17:00
and was forced to wear number 32 in
17:03
practice. Uh
17:06
we we asked
17:07
>> I thought he was wearing 62. Thought he
17:08
was wearing a lineman number that was
17:10
>> Yeah. No. So I said to say 62. Yeah. And
17:13
we asked Patrino about it. He said oh
17:15
ask Bill. We asked Bill and he just
17:17
sidestepped it. He just said something
17:19
like big big guy big number. But
17:22
obviously that's a problem. But if if he
17:25
can h have an impact that's a lot of
17:28
depth and as we know from
17:32
Belich's years with the Patriots, he
17:34
like to play a lot of running backs and
17:36
like to spread the carries around. Uh
17:39
that that seems to be a promising area.
17:41
Well, it's got me in my feels a little
17:43
bit as a former lineman, you know. I I I
17:46
I cherish those big numbers, you know.
17:48
So, um when I heard that Bellich was fat
17:51
shaming a little bit about giving a
17:52
lineman's number, I'm like, "Hey, hey,
17:54
hey, hey." You know. Um yeah. So, I I
17:58
noticed one of the things that really
18:00
came out of camp and the media
18:01
availability on those guys is that there
18:04
really does not seem to be an RB1. And
18:07
uh, of course, June is probably the the
18:09
most well-known of that crowd based on a
18:12
lot of what he did last year, but Paul
18:15
played significantly last year and and
18:17
these new guys coming in. Um, you know,
18:20
I I think that
18:23
it's going to be really important
18:24
because those guys may end up taking a
18:27
pounding going back to the offensive
18:29
line questions that we were having
18:30
earlier. Uh, and so if you can in a
18:34
Bobby Patrino offense have fresh legs in
18:39
that back field all the time and and the
18:42
idea of these guys who can go out and
18:44
catch some of these swing passes and
18:45
make some things happen in space. Uh,
18:48
that opens things up and takes some of
18:50
that pressure off the line. I think
18:52
that's going to be really important. And
18:54
so, you know, all of those guys have a
18:56
little different skill set and and so
18:58
just kind of having uh rather than
19:01
having to rely on one person back there,
19:04
if you've got a Swiss Army knife of guys
19:06
that have some power ability, guys that
19:08
have some scatback speed, guys that can
19:10
catch swing passes out of the back
19:12
field, uh, and really keep the defense
19:14
guessing about what you're going to do
19:16
in that running back situation, that's
19:19
going to help the receivers get open.
19:21
And that's going to help uh Billy
19:24
Edwards have some opportunities to to do
19:28
some things back there and and hopefully
19:30
reduce
19:32
the pressure that he's going to see and
19:34
and not be forced into as many uh bad
19:36
decisions back there and being forced
19:39
into those decisions as opposed to um
19:42
just kind of making those when when
19:44
you're not facing that kind of pressure.
19:45
Actually, one of the things I remember
19:46
from the Bill Bich offense in New
19:48
England was they always had the little
19:49
5'8, 5'9, 510 guy, little wide receiver,
19:53
kind of dart across the middle. You
19:54
could beat the hell out of him. He would
19:55
never go down. Whether it was Wes
19:56
Welker, Danny Amandola, and Julian
19:59
Elellman, and oh, oh yeah, by the way,
20:01
those guys were invariably white guys.
20:03
Do we have the little 5'8, 5'9, 510 kind
20:06
of Mighty Mouse guy that can go around
20:08
and get pinged around and get 20 yard
20:10
gains just for nothing? Do we have that
20:12
kind of guy?
20:18
Well, I I I think the guy that fits that
20:21
role, Brit, is probably going to be uh
20:23
Pekkahuna, the Wisconsin transfer, you
20:27
know, kind of that firepluggish
20:29
um position there. He he uh caught balls
20:34
last year. He had a couple hundred yards
20:36
receiving, but he also uh was able to
20:39
run the ball out of that slot. He's that
20:40
kind of little fireplug slot receiver
20:42
that that you're thinking about in the
20:45
uh in the Amandola
20:47
Wes Welker role that that uh that were f
20:52
very famous in Bichc offenses that that
20:54
that's exactly who I thought of when I
20:55
saw the kid that that the Kahuna kid
20:58
that transferred from Wisconsin Kahun.
21:00
The beauty of those guys was especially
21:01
Edelman because he played quarterback in
21:03
college is you from now every now and
21:05
again you could he could throw the ball.
21:06
You could swing a pass to him in the
21:08
back field and the guy could throw. I I
21:10
think everybody right now Doc is saying
21:12
the right stuff. We've heard a lot about
21:14
culture. We've heard about this stuff.
21:16
We're probably not going to know until
21:18
the TCU game if these kids are buying
21:21
in. Buying in is so huge to the Bellich
21:25
thing. So, I I think what everyone is
21:28
kind of afraid of is a game very similar
21:31
to last year TCU game. And that's when
21:34
everybody can start hitting the panic
21:35
button, right?
21:40
>> Yeah. And and I'm going to be honest, I
21:42
don't think I have I I can imagine a
21:45
year probably in the last 20 years where
21:48
there was less buzz and anticipation
21:51
about the season than than there has
21:53
been this year. Uh, I think everybody
21:56
bought into it last year. The the hype
21:59
was going on that that first game energy
22:02
was electric. That first drive and then
22:06
it just melted away. You know, it's the
22:09
the meme of and the South Park meme and
22:12
it's gone. Um, and so I I think it's
22:15
going to take a lot of winning over and
22:19
and the sad part is is that um
22:23
the schedule is much tougher this year.
22:26
You're facing three potential top 10
22:28
opponents, two in the first four games.
22:31
Uh and and so you could be a much
22:34
improved football team and be staring
22:39
one and three after your first four
22:41
games uh in in a very deflating
22:44
situation and be a much improved
22:46
football team. I'm not convinced that
22:48
North Carolina is going to be an
22:50
improved football team at this point. I
22:52
think that kind of goes to your point,
22:54
Brett, is is that we still have to see.
22:56
But, uh, otherwise, like I said, I I
22:59
just think that, um, that that there's
23:03
there's going to have to be a lot of,
23:05
you know, this is the Tarhill State, not
23:07
the show me state, Missouri, but I think
23:08
people are going to have to be shown
23:10
that that there is that buy in and that
23:13
that things are better than than what we
23:17
saw, particularly sort of in the middle
23:19
last year. you know, that kind of
23:21
started out flat and then you could see
23:23
some improvement um into late September
23:26
and I mean into late October and early
23:29
November. Um so I I I think that people
23:33
are just going to want to see and and I
23:35
think it starts in TCU. We started our
23:37
conversation today by saying seven and a
23:39
half point spread. If we kept it within
23:41
if the Tar Hills kept it within seven
23:43
and a half, I think people will say,
23:44
"Okay, maybe some things have improved.
23:47
Is the offense looking better? is is is
23:51
there were a lot of concerns last year.
23:53
Obviously, the thought of Bill Bich and
23:55
Steve and and those guys being so
23:58
defensive minded and we were hoping to
24:00
see that the team was going to be better
24:02
coached and and more fundamentally sound
24:05
and we didn't see that uh particularly
24:09
coming out of the gate in in that month
24:10
of September. So, um and really
24:13
struggling against Charlotte and and
24:15
those kinds of things. So if that comes
24:17
out looking better, Brit, I think to
24:19
your question, then that's where you
24:21
start to see, okay, things are starting
24:23
to turn the corner. The the the things
24:25
that these guys were supposed to have as
24:27
their strength as coaches is now
24:29
starting to show up on the field. So um
24:32
we may not be there. Uh we as fans may
24:37
not be there in the first game. Um,
24:41
you're going to play a week, then you're
24:43
going to have a week off, then you're
24:45
going to play East Tennessee State in
24:48
that home opener.
24:50
Really watching those first two games
24:52
are going to set the table because then
24:54
you've got a week off. Uh, and then
24:56
you're playing Notre Dame and Clemson
24:58
back to back and then we'll find out
24:59
what the team's made of.
25:02
>> Yeah, I mean, it does seem like uh
25:04
they're in a better place. Much of the
25:05
roster was in place in spring. They were
25:08
able to do playerled summer practices,
25:10
which they weren't able to do last year.
25:12
Uh, but we don't know exactly how
25:14
anybody's going to line up because
25:16
neither team's going to release a depth
25:17
chart before the game. But, um, in the
25:21
big picture, talking about Las Vegas
25:24
Lines, they say four and a half wins for
25:26
Carolina.
25:28
I'm thinking,
25:30
what would you say would be the number
25:33
for Bill Bich to come back in 2027?
25:39
Well, I I'm going to tell you, I have a
25:41
kid going to school at Carolina right
25:43
now, and I I would probably bet his
25:45
college fund on the under four and a
25:48
half
25:50
only because um
25:53
we were talking about I'm not convinced
25:56
that this is a better team than last
25:57
year, but it could be a much improved
25:59
last team than last year and still only
26:02
scrape out four wins against this
26:04
schedule. the the schedule is much
26:06
tougher than it was last year. Again,
26:10
you're talking about playing Notre Dame,
26:12
preseason top 10 team. Clemson,
26:14
supposedly the Tigers are back. They're
26:16
a lot of buzz about Clemson this year.
26:18
Miami is a national runners up. They're
26:20
on the schedule this year. Um there are
26:24
some teams in power four football that
26:27
are predicted even within the ACC to be
26:30
below the Tar Hills. Unfortunately, none
26:31
of them are on schedule this year.
26:33
um you know so so I I think it's it's
26:38
just going to be a difficult situation.
26:43
I I think if this team made it to six
26:46
wins and um bowl eligibility,
26:51
uh
26:52
Bellichic should be in line for ACC
26:55
coach of the year. I think this is just
26:56
where this is with the with the team's
26:58
roster and with the schedule. if you
27:01
found six wins uh in that schedule, um
27:06
you know, which means at that point
27:07
you're probably talking about three
27:10
maybe four ACC wins to get to six. Um,
27:15
you know, I I I think that uh
27:18
I I I think you're you're looking at a
27:22
at a fantastic result and and you know,
27:26
I think the biggest thing is at this
27:28
point in year two of the Bellichic era,
27:29
we're UNCC fans uh and and the public
27:33
are looking for a proof of concept. We
27:35
didn't see it last year. You get to six
27:37
wins this year and you start seeing
27:40
progress moving the right way. Um, I I
27:44
think you can see that that concept,
27:47
that proof of concept, but uh I I I
27:50
think that that's where you've got to
27:51
be. Um, I I I just I think four wins out
27:57
of this schedule is is going to be um a
28:02
a a pretty solid achievement, but I
28:04
don't know that that would be enough to
28:06
continue a
28:09
10 plus million dollar investment in the
28:11
head coach and another $10 million plus
28:13
investment in assistant coaches um going
28:16
forward.
28:16
>> Let's keep with that thought that you
28:17
were looking at right there as far as
28:19
the rest of the Atlantic Coast
28:20
Conference. We talked about Miami being
28:22
obviously the favorites to win the ACC.
28:25
Clemson being back, Louisville, SMU.
28:28
These are some of the top teams that are
28:29
mentioned. Some other teams like Georgia
28:31
Tech, Pittsburgh, Cal, maybe they are
28:32
more question marks. U Franklin's first
28:35
year at Virginia Tech. I think we've got
28:37
a monster matchup in week zero with NC
28:40
State against Virginia. What are you
28:42
looking at as far as the ACC this year,
28:43
Doc?
28:47
>> Yeah, I I think you really hit it on the
28:49
head there, Britt. and and the fact that
28:51
the conference in general um has taken
28:56
some really big steps forward. I mean,
28:58
you look at Duke and Virginia last year
29:00
and and where they were able to advance
29:02
their programs and Virginia really uh
29:06
embracing the transfer portal and
29:08
improving their team. Um Virginia Tech
29:12
made an outstanding hire in James
29:14
Franklin. Uh you could expect that team
29:16
to be better. Uh Jeff Braum is really
29:19
getting it done at Louisville. You know,
29:22
that's a team on the rise. Of course,
29:24
Rhett Lashley and and uh SMU continue it
29:28
going. Miami is the um
29:33
national runners up. I just think top to
29:36
bottom, particularly in the top half of
29:39
the league, um once you get past kind of
29:43
the the big four of Louisville, SMU,
29:46
Clemson, and Miami, I think that next
29:50
four to five teams, it is going to be
29:53
incredibly competitive. A really big
29:56
jumble. Anybody can beat anybody on a
29:58
given day. And then you're gonna kind of
30:00
have that group there at the bottom
30:02
that's that's Stanford and and BC
30:05
um and and North Carolina and whether or
30:09
not Cal gets in there, you know, with a
30:11
new coach and new situation there. So I
30:14
I just think that um I think that
30:17
there's kind of the top four that you
30:18
can see a big jumble in the middle and
30:21
then kind of the bottom four.
30:22
>> Well, Doc, we've appreciate you joining
30:24
with us and you're going to be with us
30:26
for a wrapup of the TCU game. Hopefully,
30:28
we'll be able to get together Saturday
30:29
after the big TCU game in Dublin,
30:31
depending on what our schedule's going
30:32
to be. Go ahead, subscribe to the Tar
30:34
Hill Tribune YouTube page for all that.
30:36
And again, we appreciate you. Be looking
30:38
for your column on tarhilltribune.com or
30:40
the good and the bad and the ugly as
30:41
well. And until next time, guys, keep up
30:44
with everything Carolina.
30:45
Tarhilltribune.com.
30:49
>> Thanks, Doc.
30:51
Thanks
Sports