College Football Unfiltered: Presented by Sports Seriously is USA TODAY Sports’ newest podcast, hosted by USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer. With sharp analysis, real perspective, and a finger on the pulse of the biggest storylines in college football, delivering news, opinions, and context fans actually care about.
You can also find our episodes at USA TODAY Sports on YouTube, Apple podcasts
or Spotify.This week, Blake is joined by USA TODAY Sports college Insider John Brice and columnist Matt Hayes to discuss Week 0, including the start of Bill Belichick's second season at North Carolina (in Dublin vs. TCU), the rising costs of putting a roster together and whether it's Miami and everyone else in the ACC title race.
too low? USA TODAY Sports' Top 100 College Football Players for 2026
Here are a few excerpts from Monday's episode (full episode at bottom of article):
Can it get worse for Bill Belichick in Year 2 at UNC?
Hayes: "You know, what's amazing to me is Beli was always seen as this great personnel guy who knew players and knew exactly what he needed and how to make everything fit and work. He got 70 new players the first year, 60 new players a second year. I'm not that good at math, but I can guarantee you that means he missed on a lot of guys in Year 1. So I still don't have a quarterback. I don't have a defensive coordinator now either. His son apparently away for whatever reason. The GM's away because they're investigating him for an HR issue.
"There's a lot going on there at North Carolina, and they're playing a really good TCU team that's got a little edge right now. Got a little chip on its collective shoulder because Josh Hoover were left for Indiana because he wanted to go play for a championship. And it's a pretty good TCU team that won nine games last year. So this is going to be, I hate to say this for North Carolina fans, might even be worse than last year."
Is this the year Miami finally wins an ACC title?
Toppmeyer: "It's like Miami and everybody else (in the ACC). I mean I guess it's open for No. 2. I feel like the ACC is Miami's to lose far and away. So is like when we say it's an open conference, are we talking about like if it becomes a two-bid league it's the second bid that is open or do you really see it being open at the top?"
Brice: "Look, Miami has one of the most expensive rosters in all of college football, and they're looking to build off the success that they had last year. But they stubbed their toe a couple of times over the balance of last season. And they still have to prove that they can navigate a full campaign without doing that."
Hayes: "I think we have to look at this realistically. In the time that Miami's been in the ACC, Duke and Wake Forest have won the ACC, Miami has not. Miami hasn't won the ACC. So I mean, I'm with you like I see it and I think I mean it's Miami in the 16 dwarfs, maybe SMU, 15 dwarfs. But until Miami does it, until you see Miami go in there and actually take control of that league, I don't know how anyone could say, yeah, of course it's Miami. Obviously, Darian Mensah puts them high in the list right now as far as favorites to win that league. But I'm a big track record guy, and Miami hasn't done it yet. I want to see them do it."
Toppmeyer: "I think that's fair. Like if you're in the prove it camp, I get that if you're in the who's got the best roster, I think Miami clearly has the best roster in the conference."
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE:
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can it get worse for Bill Belichick in Year 2 at North Carolina?
