Bill Belichick needed this one.
That the 74-year-old Belichick came into his second year at North Carolina on one of the hottest seats in college football was a signal that the six-time Super Bowl winner had officially lost his fastball after a dismal end to his run with the New England Patriots.
A full accounting of how far Belichick and UNC have come since last season won’t be complete until deeper into one of the toughest schedules in the Bowl Subdivision. But the Tar Heels’ often ugly 15-10 win against TCU in Ireland rights the ship for Belichick and gives his tenure a must-have boost after another drama-filled offseason.
The Tar Heels were swamped at home by TCU in last year’s opener, scoring the game’s first points before giving up 41 in a row
and losing 48-14.
This TCU team has clear quarterback issues after losing multiple-year starter Josh Hoover to Indiana. Combined with a lack of elite skill talent, the Horned Frogs might struggle to reach bowl eligibility.
One thing that’s obvious: TCU is not going to contend with the best teams in the Big 12 by committing 11 penalties, going a combined 8 of 21 on third and fourth downs, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry and only 5.5 yards per pass attempt.
Despite the Horned Frogs’ obvious issues, UNC might have displayed a Belichick-era blueprint for winning close, low-scoring games by leaning on low-error play from veteran quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and a talented defensive front that had three sacks and six tackles for loss, the lion’s share by sophomore Xavier Lewis.
For the Tar Heels and Belichick, the win is all that matters. We’ll know by the second half of October — after games against No. 23 Clemson, No. 5 Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Duke — whether this throwback, NFL-style model can get UNC into the postseason and salvage Belichick’s diminished reputation.
Belichick, Virginia and TCU lead the biggest winners and losers from Week 0 of the 2026 season:
Winners
Bill Belichick
Just in the past month, UNC has placed general manager Michael Lombardi on indefinite leave and been forced to move forward with defensive coordinator Steven Belichick sidelined with an undisclosed medical condition. Those are the two most recent twists and turns for what has been one of the most drama-filled programs in the country this side of wherever Lane Kiffin is at the moment. Every UNC win, regardless of the score or beauty points, shifts the focus away from Belichick’s messy program.
Virginia
Last year’s ACC runner-up showed some staying power by pushing projected ACC contender North Carolina State around in a bruising 34-8 win. Virginia held CJ Bailey to just 84 yards on 23 pass attempts and allowed just one gain of more than 14 yards while letting transfer quarterback Beau Pribula do most of the work in his program debut. He ran for 110 yards on 15 carries and went 9 of 11 passing for 155 yards and two scores. N.C. State has won at least eight games in five of the past six years – if that’s who the Wolfpack are again in 2026, Virginia will be a dangerous team.
North Dakota State
The greatest dynasty in Championship Subdivision history — the most dominant in Division I history, really — picked up where it left off with an impressive 33-7 win against Jacksonville State in the program’s FBS debut. The Gamecocks are no pushover: JSU had gone 27-14 since joining the FBS in 2023 and won the 2024 Conference USA crown under former coach Rich Rodriguez. The Bison got things started by holding the Gamecocks’ normally productive running game to just 85 yards on 31 carries while going for 209 yards on the ground themselves and 373 yards overall. It seems obvious that NDSU can compete for and win the Mountain West in 2026.
Southern California
The No. 14 Trojans were cruising heading through the second half against San Jose State before the mostly second-team defense gave up 23 points in the fourth quarter of an eventual a 42-26 win. That late collapse will give new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson plenty to work with this week and beyond as USC looks blend dozens of highly touted newcomers into the 2026 roster. Even as holdovers such as quarterback Jayden Maiava (25 of 29 for 286 yards and two touchdowns) are helping to bridge the gap in experience, the inability to slam the door on the Spartans feeds into the perception that the Trojans’ lack of proven depth and an experienced reserves will eventually be their downfall.
Losers
TCU
The vibe coming out of last year’s opener was that North Carolina was weak and TCU was probably about a nine-win team, which was the case in the end. This 2026 opener paints a very different picture. The Horned Frogs’ scheme under coach Sonny Dykes demands high-level quarterback play, but it remains to be seen whether he can get that from Harvard transfer Jaden Craig, who threw for 175 yards on 5.5 yards per attempt. That’s the fewest passing yards in a game for TCU since going putting up 152 yards in the 65-7 bloodbath against Georgia in the College Football Playoff title game in the 2022 season.
North Carolina State
To the question of whether this is the year N.C. State makes that unexpected leap into the playoff mix: No. No, it’s not. At least that’s the immediate read after getting smothered by the Cavaliers, who forced a pair of turnovers, had almost 250 more yards and held the ball for more than 38 minutes. The Wolfpack next face Richmond before a crucial run of games at Vanderbilt and back home for Appalachian State, Louisville and Wake Forest.
UNLV
UNLV led Memphis 21-14 a few minutes into the second half but couldn’t hold up to the Tigers’ defensive line, which sparked a 27-21 win that may end up being meaningful down the line. For now, Memphis looks in good hands under few coach Charles Huff, who recently completed a major turnaround in his one season at Southern Mississippi. Thinking ahead to November, this result could serve as one piece of evidence for giving the American champ a playoff berth over the winner of the Mountain West.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Belichick, USC, NC State lead college football Week 0 winners and losers
