UNC Football Catch-all | Bill Belichick Era underway

[Calheel]

I think this is right. I think college football is at an all time peak popularity in terms of eye balls on games (not necessarily in-person attendance but eyes on TV, sports bettors, etc)

Also a peak in terms of revenue from fans at the stadium. Those seat licenses and suites drive a lot of revenue.

CBS Sports likes to run an average FBS attendance stat, which shows small average declines every year. The problem with "average" is that it fails to account for all the small schools jumping into FBS every year, which lowers the average FBS attendance because it adds small stadiums to the mix. The average attendance for the top 30 has held relatively stable -- even while the stadiums have added many significant revenue generators. Take a look at what Penn State and Kansas are doing.

 

[CFordUNC]

I’m going to be fascinated to see how other teams treat UNC this fall. I feel like we are going to be THE team circled in red on every single team’s calendars. That could make for interesting environments at UCF and Syracuse- and of course in Raleigh (fuck those losers).

 

[Calheel]

I’m going to be fascinated to see how other teams treat UNC this fall. I feel like we are going to be THE team circled in red on every single team’s calendars. That could make for interesting environments at UCF and Syracuse- and of course in Raleigh (fuck those losers).

I think that very much depends on how we perform out of the gates. If we lose a bunch of games early, I don't think too many teams will be circling us. If we win out of the gate and the hype train gets rolling, whoa Nellie.

 

[CFordUNC]

I think that very much depends on how we perform out of the gates. If we lose a bunch of games early, I don't think too many teams will be circling us. If we win out of the game and the hype train gets going, whoa Nellie.

True. Good points.

 

[Enigma94]

I am much more excited about the 2025 season than the 2024 season. I did not think Max Johnson was going to be very good and I thought Mack was past his prime. In contrast, I think Gio Lopez is going to be very good. He reminds a bit of Darian Durant. And I think Bill has something to prove. Of course, it could all go to shit. This is the least predictable Carolina season I can recall. But I am definitely more amped for this one than last year (although 23 was the best of the three preseasons).

I agree with this, though I would probably describe my interest as intrigue more than excitement. That could translate to excitement if we start strong though. I definitely was not very interested last year in another Mack led team.

 

[wmheel1287]

I am much more excited about the 2025 season than the 2024 season. I did not think Max Johnson was going to be very good and I thought Mack was past his prime. In contrast, I think Gio Lopez is going to be very good. He reminds a bit of Darian Durant. And I think Bill has something to prove. Of course, it could all go to shit. This is the least predictable Carolina season I can recall. But I am definitely more amped for this one than last year (although 23 was the best of the three preseasons).

Who is Gio Lopez? I ask that sincerely though reading from context I assume he is a quarterback.

 

[Ramrouser]

I am much more excited about the 2025 season than the 2024 season. I did not think Max Johnson was going to be very good and I thought Mack was past his prime. In contrast, I think Gio Lopez is going to be very good. He reminds a bit of Darian Durant. And I think Bill has something to prove. Of course, it could all go to shit. This is the least predictable Carolina season I can recall. But I am definitely more amped for this one than last year (although 23 was the best of the three preseasons).

x10000. I’m fired up due to all of the positive changes to the program. In 2024 Mack and the program had devolved into a sad and stale program.

Before anyone responds, I’m painfully aware of our football history but I still have high hopes.

 

[Ramrouser]

Who is Gio Lopez? I ask that sincerely though reading from context I assume he is a quarterback.

Transfer QB we obtained in the portal for reportedly 2M.

 

[sringwal]

Who is Gio Lopez? I ask that sincerely though reading from context I assume he is a quarterback.

You are going to like him. He’s a flashcard guy.

QB Gio Lopez embraces his opportunity at UNC, playing for Belichick

CHARLOTTE — When Gio Lopez entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at South Alabama, he wasn’t just looking for a new school — the quarterback was looking for a new challenge. What he f…

tarheeltribune.com

 

[NOVAHEEL13]

I honestly don't have it in me to care one bit this year and my DGAF outlook on this year's team has nothing to do with my overall dislike of football in general as a sport. It's more to do with how shitty the product (both college and pro) has become lately. I mean sure it's always awesome to watch both the lollers and dook lose or to witness a fantastic athletic play made but honestly I'd rather spend my time with my boys doing things they enjoy (though my oldest shipped off to Parris Island for bootcamp).

I'll watch a couple of games and hope the team succeeds but my days of watching a full game on TV or traveling to Chapel Hill to attend one are mostly in the past.

 

[UNCMSinLS]

honestly I'd rather spend my time with my boys doing things they enjoy

Sounds like you've got your priorities where they need to be, Nova.

 

[NOVAHEEL13]

Sounds like you've got your priorities where they need to be, Nova.

Thanks....unfortunately that wasn't always the case for one reason or another (mostly me getting a new job and needing to split my time between Williamsburg (where my job is) and my home near DC. However, hings drastically changed when my oldest son decided he wanted to join the Marines. He had about 3 months after the initial recruiting visit before he left and those weeks spent leading up to last Monday -when I dropped him off at MEPS - were some of the best times I've had as a dad.

My youngest doesn't like sports much so I'm gonna take the time I would spend watching football and focus on him before he goes to college in a couple of years.

 

[sringwal]

I mostly quit sports during COVID. I just couldn’t stomach them putting athletes at risk as quickly as they did. Since then, I’ve watched a little bit of UNC, and the Olympics, and that’s pretty much it. I think it has made me mentally healthier, to be honest.

 

[Patb78]

I will say this, as a positive about unc football. For the first time in seemingly forever, it seems like it’s decently assured that we won’t lose games by giving up 70 to the likes of a JMU or ECU type, and we likely won’t lose many games against teams against whom we’d be favored by 2 TD’s. That alone should make the season way more palatable than any in recent memory.

I couldn’t stand BB when he was coach of the Patriots. They were the big rival of my Colts. But I will say this about those Patriot teams. They were very sound fundamentally. They very seldom beat themselves. If you beat them you win the game, they didn’t give it to you with a bunch of stupid plays. That’s what I’m looking for in this year ‘s Carolina team. If we are better in the basic fundamentals of the game (and I strongly believe we will be) then we will do better than expected.

 

[CFordUNC]

I couldn’t stand BB when he was coach of the Patriots. They were the big rival of my Colts. But I will say this about those Patriot teams. They were very sound fundamentally. They very seldom beat themselves. If you beat them you win the game, they didn’t give it to you with a bunch of stupid plays. That’s what I’m looking for in this year ‘s Carolina team. If we are better in the basic fundamentals of the game (and I strongly believe we will be) then we will do better than expected.

Totally agree. That’s where I’m at too. I think we’ve probably got a 6-win roster but that the Belichick Effect will have us win 8 almost solely by virtue of not beating ourselves.

I do think that we really need to win at least 8 to feel good about year 1 under Belichick, given that we are almost certainly on such a short timeline with him as our coach. I don’t think 7-5 or 6-6 should be viewed as laudable. So it’s definitely going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.

 

[NOVAHEEL13]

I mostly quit sports during COVID. I just couldn’t stomach them putting athletes at risk as quickly as they did. Since then, I’ve watched a little bit of UNC, and the Olympics, and that’s pretty much it. I think it has made me mentally healthier, to be honest.

Yup...same. But I think my DGAF attitude really started when literally every sports station talked about either pro or college football 80% of the time no matter what season we were in or what other sports were being played.

 

[Bigs23]

Yup...same. But I think my DGAF attitude really started when literally every sports station talked about either pro or college football 80% of the time no matter what season we were in or what other sports were being played.

I still enjoy watching competitive athletics especially at a high level with high stakes.

I consume almost none of the pre and post game stuff. That shit just doesn’t interest me.

 

[Zoo_View]

I think football will remain ultra popular...and it will remain so in college. For about 20-30 schools who truly can and will compete.

I dont think college football will maintain its popularity everywhere else.

By the way, we will never be one of those 20 or 30. We dont have the alumni numbers or statewide buy-in for it.

I think what will happen everywhere else will be the realization that they aren't even playing the same sport as the big boys and thus a relative disinterest in their own school's team.

 

[superrific]

Of course CFB isn’t doing better than the NFL. The NFL is the most popular sport in this country by a mile.

I meant, is CFB growing faster than the NFL. If it is, then the new model is working, and I'm just wrong. I might be wrong anyway, but if CFB is growing more slowly, then it could simply be that football's popularity is lifting all boats.

 

[Carolina Fever]

I think football will remain ultra popular...and it will remain so in college. For about 20-30 schools who truly can and will compete.

I dont think college football will maintain its popularity everywhere else.

By the way, we will never be one of those 20 or 30. We dont have the alumni numbers or statewide buy-in for it.

I think what will happen everywhere else will be the realization that they aren't even playing the same sport as the big boys and thus a relative disinterest in their own school's team.

I'm not sure. Look at somewhere like App State. They play in a crappy conference and are not a big time program, but they still manage to get every home game sold out, and the students and people up there in Boone are really into it. I do think it was a better product for them, though, when they played in the playoff subdivision and had rivalries with other schools in their conference that were closer. Schools like them and Marshall and James Madison are in a weird mid tier where they are still popular with the students and locals but will never be a real playoff contender in the FBS playoffs.