In 2025, North Carolina might not need to upset anyone to make noise under new head coach Bill Bellichhick, they just need to handle their business.
Pro Football Focus places the Tarheels 8th on the list of easiest schedules in college football this season, part of a group that includes programs with soft conference slates, favorable non-league matchups, or both. For a team trying to bounce back and build a winning culture from scratch, it’s the kind of draw you hope for and now there’s no excuses.
This year’s easiest schedule includes Wake Forest, followed by Texas Tech, Indiana, Virginia, BYU, SMU, and Kansas. Right behind UNC are Houston and Oklahoma State to round out the top 10.
These are not elite teams by any measure but that’s the point.
In a new-look ACC with Florida State and Clemson looking to move out of conference soon the Tar Heels are staring at a very manageable path going forward if they are able to salvage a respectable season.
The heavy hitters are off the schedule, and a veteran-led roster gives UNC one of the most stable outlooks in the conference.
But the trap with soft schedules is thinking they win games by default. North Carolina learned that the hard way last season, when inconsistency and missed opportunities knocked them out of the ACC title hunt early.
This year, there’s no Alabama or Georgia lurking in the non-conference games. No brutal three-week stretch with back-to-back ranked opponents. Just a clean lane where they need to take full advantage of it.
UNC doesn’t need chaos to climb the rankings this fall. They just need to prove they belong in the conversation.
