North Carolina football lifted itself out of further disastrous results from the TCU opener. Bill Belichick has UNC on a two-game winning streak before facing Central Florida. Except UCF becomes the first undefeated challenge for the legendary NFL head coach in his transition to college.
The Knights are rebuilding themselves under Scott Frost during his second tenure at the Orlando school. UCF is fresh off dismantling North Carolina A&T 68-7 and coming off a bye.
Belichick's Tar Heels have one last non-conference hurdle before diving into Atlantic Coast Conference play. But this matchup down in Florida presents plenty of matchup to look forward to. UCF already sparked intrigue for Belichick's road trip by trolling him online.
Time for some bold predictions ahead of the non-conference showdown.
‘UCFast' will test Bill Belichick
UCF Knights head coach Scott Frost walks the sideline during the first quarter against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Acrisure Bounce House.
Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Frost once created a high-octane offense he helped dub “UCFast.” He wants to hit defenses with speed and lining up quickly.
This philosophy will test Belichick — the same way TCU tested him and UNC.
The Horned Frogs gashed UNC with a near identical tempo approach. Except past Frost teams at UCF moved at a quicker pace.
Frost isn't pivoting to control-the-clock mode. He'll force Belichick to control the tempo and see if he can adjust immediately.
Defense must become catalyst for North Carolina vs. UCF
North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick during the first quarter against the Charlotte 49ers at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Belichick will love these results out of his area of expertise.
His UNC defenses have surrendered only nine combined points since the embarrassing season opening loss. They've forced field goals after the Horned Frogs dropped 48 at Chapel Hill.
Unfortunately many will bring up who Belichick and North Carolina's opponents were the last two weeks. They defeated Group of Five foe Charlotte which is transitioning to its own new regime, then Richmond out of the Football Championship Subdivision.
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Regardless, Belichick needs his improving defense to raise their game another level here. The Knights will be one of the faster teams Belichick will game plan against. They'll need to force turnovers against a team that hasn't lost the football since the Aug. 28 opener against Jacksonville State.
UCF will turn to ground attack to beat North Carolina
UCF Knights quarterback Cam Fancher (14) is sacked by Jacksonville State Gamecocks defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo (99) during the first quarter at Acrisure Bounce House.
Mike Watters-Imagn Images
While they took on an FCS challenger, Frost saw this encouraging sign in the rout of NCAT: The return of the vaunted running attack that made his Knights teams revered.
Jaden Nixon carried the ball just four times. Yet tallied 156 yards and averaged an uncanny 39 yards a carry — featuring this 87-yard scamper.
ICYMI: Jaden Nixon is REALLY fast 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/wdtl5OKzdL
— UCF Knights 🌴 (@UCFKnights) September 7, 2025
Jacurri Brown is another to account for on Belichick's side. The dual-threat quarterback handed UCF a change-of-pace option by adding 125 rushing yards on five carries.
TCU destroyed Belichick's scheme off a high-powered running game first. Kevorian Barnes rumbled to 113 rushing yards and one touchdown in the opener. The Frogs compiled 258 rushing yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry.
UCF is capable of luring in a faster attack. They move at the speed of a meteor across the galaxy. Belichick himself may become exhausted with watching his defenders keep up.
North Carolina only wins if the defense prevents the big plays, then Gio Lopez and Demon June provide their own ground work for the offense. But UCF is a 6.5-point favorite for this contest and looks like it can cover the spread.