Bill Belichick UNC Tar Heels Coaching Odds 2025

Legendary coach Bill Belichick has signed a three-year, $30-million contract to take over as head coach of the University of North Carolina Tarheels football program. In a surprise move, the 72-year-old has seemingly abandoned his quest to become the NFL’s winningest coach of all-time to join the college ranks. Belichick instantly becomes the oldest coach in college football, taking the mantle from his predecessor in Chapel Hill, Mack Brown. 

Here's a look at the latest Bill Belichick UNC head coaching odds from FanDuel, and my analysis on his stunning hire. 

UNC Tar Heels 2025 Win Total Odds

The UNC win total bets are coming in so fast and furious, the Tar Heels win total jumped from 6.5 to 7.5 in less than two hours after Belichick's announcement was made. Even Dominic Torretto would be proud, does Belichick also live his life a quarter mile at a time? 

Incredibly, he steps in to take over a football program that hasn't won a Bowl game since the 2019 Military Bowl. North Carolina finished 6-6 during the 2024 season, but went just 3-5 in the ACC.  

Winning more than seven games in 2025 would be a heck of a start for the legendary head honcho. The Tar Heels schedule isn't exactly a walk in the park, and early National Signing Day has already past. Here's a peek at UNC's schedule: 

While the ACC isn't known for football, Clemson and SMU will both play in the CFP this year. Syracuse finished 9-3 and 6-1 in the conference this season, and Duke matched that record. 

The hype will be palpable. However, much like Deion Sanders at Colorado, wins will be hard to come by in Belichick's first season in charge. Media hoopla doesn't equate to victories, and while there will surely be a TV ratings bonanza, UNC is far more likely than not to fall short of its goals. After all, the Tar Heels allowed a touchdown on a concerning 91% of opponent red zone trips this season, and surrendered an alarming 8.2 yards per pass. 

Ultimately, studs like running back Omarion Hampton, wide receiver J.J. Jones, edge rusher Kaimon Rucker and linebacker Power Echols are likely to make their way to the NFL Draft. Belichick faces an uphill battle to replace them and add enough talent to turn this program into a winner in one off-season. I'm all over UNC UNDER 7.5 wins at -158 odds from FanDuel.

Betting on Bill Belichick at UNC

The six-time Super Bowl champion head coach is making his first foray into the college football world. 

Remember, Belichick has never recruited a player, he's only drafted them. He's never entered the world of NIL or the transfer portal. His father Steve was a college coach, but that was decades ago. That being said, it sounds like the former Patriots boss has a plan to turn things around.

"IF I was in a College program it would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL..

It would be a professional program at the College level..

I don't have any doubt that the players would be ready for the NFL" ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/JyMDtzs2yR

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 9, 2024

Despite that, the list of NFL coaches to head to college promising to turn a program into a perennial winner is long. Unfortunately, few have made good on that promise. Bill Callahan, Belichick-disciple Charlie Weis, Lovie Smith and Herm Edwards are just a few recent examples. Each of their college tenures were shortlived and unremarkable. Some ended in disaster.

Hiring a 72-year-old head coach to run a program made up of 18-22-year-olds will surely have some growing pains. Heck, there's a growing number of professional players who have grown tired of Belichick's rigid style. He can't magically give Tom Brady another four years of eligibility, can he? Large amounts of recruits almost solely communicate via social media these days, and their new leader has often referred to Instagram as "Instaface" and infamously combined Snapchat and Facebook in a rant a few years ago. Finding common ground with recruits and keeping his top talents won't be easy. At the end of the day, Belichick isn't exactly Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughan or Will Ferrell returning to college in "Old School", he's really more like Blue. 

Incredibly, Belichick's first game will mirror that of Sanders' at Colorado, as UNC will meet the TCU Horned Frogs in his first game on the sideline. Back the Tar Heels all you want, but I'll be fading the grouchy, old man on the college football sidelines at every opportunity. You're still my boy, Blue.