There are a lot of big games on the 2025 Syracuse football schedule, but the October 31 game against the North Carolina Tar Heels is one that many fans have circled. It might have something to due with North Carolina’s new head coach or the fact that this will be the first Halloween game in the Dome with fans since 1992. In any event, it’s worth getting to know where the Tar Heels stand ahead of the 2025 college football season.
North Carolina’s head coach: Bill Belichick
Ever heard of him? All he did was win six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots. Of course, things did go south for Belichick in New England after Tom Brady left town and ended up winning another Super Bowl with a different team. Nevertheless, he ranks third on the NFL’s all-time regular-season wins list for head coaches and first all-time in playoff wins.
UNC is getting a docuseries featuring Bill Belichick and its football program that is set to be released on Hulu per @FOS
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) July 18, 2025
Hopefully this doesn’t collapse at the finish line like Hard Knocks did pic.twitter.com/mczuwQmNYH
So, what is Belichick doing coaching North Carolina? That’s the $10 million question, as Belichick will earn $10 million per year while coaching the Tar Heels. He and the Patriots parted ways after New England’s 4-13 season in 2023. Belichick spent the next year as a media “personality” before taking the UNC job. This will be his first job ever as a college coach, making Belichick and the Tar Heels one of the most fascinating subplots of the 2025 season, even if you ignore his somewhat unusual personal life.
Last meeting with Syracuse: North Carolina 40, Syracuse 7 (2023)
North Carolina and Syracuse last met two seasons ago in what turned out to be a blood bath. The previous week, Dino Babers and the Orange lost to Clemson, although there was still some lingering optimism after a 4-0 start. That disappeared quickly when Drake Maye threw for 442 yards and three touchdowns. The Tar Heels led 27-0 at halftime and cruised to victory. A LeQuint Allen touchdown saved Syracuse from being shut out in the second of what would become a five-game losing streak.
Series history
There have been seven previous meetings between Syracuse and UNC, dating back to 1995 when the Orange won 20-9 in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels won during trips to the Dome in both 1996 and 2002, while Syracuse won a 49-47 thriller in Chapel Hill in 2003. More recently, Syracuse won a double-overtime game 40-37 against the Tar Heels in 2018, when Tommy DeVito came off the bench for a struggling Eric Dungey, throwing three touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Ravian Pierce. However, the Tar Heels have won the last two, a 31-6 game in 2020 and the 40-7 blowout two years ago to take a 4-3 lead in the all-time series between these teams.
North Carolina’s 2024 season
UNC’s 2024 campaign was a disappointment that ultimately cost Mack Brown his job. The Tar Heels opened the season 3-0, including a road win over Minnesota. However, they followed that up with a four-game losing streak. It looked like they had righted the ship with three straight wins in late October and early November. But late-season losses to Boston College and NC State meant a 6-6 finish, which was bad enough to fire Brown. With an interim coach, the Tar Heels went to the Fenway Bowl and suffered a somewhat embarrassing 27-14 loss to UConn for a 6-7 record.
North Carolina’s key returning players
With a new coach, it’s not surprising that North Carolina is lacking key returning players. Running back Davion Gause, who had 326 rushing yards as the backup to Omarion Hampton last season, returns to the Tar Heels, presumably as the starter. A few wide receivers also return, most notably Kobe Paysour, a senior who had 21 catches for 365 yards last season. Jordan Shipp and Chris Culliver also return after combining for a mere 15 catches in 2024. Technically, quarterback Max Johnson is back with the Tar Heels, although he’s not a lock to start after his season-ending injury last year, especially with a new head coach.
Summertime Work, Getting Closer! @InsideCarolina @HeelIllustrated #UNC #MaxJohnson #DCMOB pic.twitter.com/wS5C3vcg54
— Max Johnson (@MaxJohnson14) May 15, 2025
The UNC defense is also lacking returning players. Most of the familiar names are in the secondary, most notably cornerback Marcus Allen and safety Will Hardy. Both are seniors who saw regular snaps for the Tar Heels last season. Other than that, it’ll be mostly new faces for the North Carolina defense in 2025.
North Carolina’s notable additions
If Johnson isn’t the starting quarterback, it looks like that job will go to South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez. He threw 18 touchdown passes to just five interceptions as a redshirt freshman for South Alabama last year, helping the Jaguars to a 7-6 season. Of course, four-star recruit Bryce Baker could make a push for the starting job as a true freshman.
The Tar Heels are hoping that Michigan State transfer Aziah Johnson can make an immediate impact after collecting 16 receptions for the Spartans last year. UNC also has six offensive linemen from the transfer portal on the two-deep heading into camp. Even with some experienced players in the mix, the Tar Heels could rely mostly on newcomers to put together their offensive line.
Defensively, a majority of UNC’s starters are joining Belichick’s team from the transfer portal. Edge rusher Pryce Yates was the MVP of the Fenway Bowl against the Tar Heels last season, but he comes to Chapel Hill from UConn with 12.5 career sacks. Penn State transfer Smith Vilbert will also be a key pass rusher for the Tar Heels this season. At linebacker, Missouri transfer Mikai Gbayor and Washington transfer Khmori House are the players to watch. Cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, another Washington transfer, and former East Carolina safety Gavin Gibson will also be key pieces for the North Carolina defense.
North Carolina’s 2025 season outlook
It’s hard to know what to make of North Carolina’s 2025 season. Belichick is undoubtedly an accomplished coach, but the 73-year-old will have to adjust to coaching college players and trying to get the most out of them. Plus, both sides of the ball are loaded with questions, as the Tar Heels have to sort out uncertainty at quarterback, while hoping a defense full of transfers can develop chemistry. Heading into the season, there are far more unknown variables than known commodities on the UNC roster.
#WallpaperWednesday
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) July 16, 2025
Freshen up those lock screens with the 2025 schedule! 👉📱 pic.twitter.com/P36tihl2aU
The Tar Heels jump into the deep end right away, hosting TCU in their season opener. They also host Clemson in early October for Belichick’s ACC debut. The silver lining is that road games with Cal, Wake Forest, and NC State, as well as home dates with Virginia and Stanford, give North Carolina plenty of winnable games, even in ACC play. If things break well, it’s not hard to envision a winning record in Belichick’s first season. But with all of the turnover, this could also be considered a rebuilding season with a lot of growing pains for the Tar Heels.
When and where North Carolina plays Syracuse in 2025
Syracuse will host North Carolina on Friday, October 31. The game is set for a 7:30 pm kickoff on ESPN. Technically, Syracuse hosted Wake Forest on Halloween in 2020. Of course, there were no fans in attendance at that game. This will be the first home Halloween game with fans for the Orange since 1992, when Syracuse beat Pitt 41-10 on the way to a 10-2 season.
Learn more about North Carolina: https://keepingitheel.com/
Prediction: Syracuse 38, North Carolina 17
A road game during a short week doesn’t do Belichick and the Tar Heels any favors in this game, especially coming off a rivalry game with Virginia and a long trip to Cal two weeks earlier. That should put the Orange in a good spot to play a tired UNC team, especially with the home crowd behind them. Look for both offenses to look a little sluggish in the first half. But some turnovers created by the Syracuse defense will make things a little easier for the Orange in the second half, enabling Fran Brown’s team to cruise to a comfortable home win.