Count Dave Clawson as a believer in "The Belichick Way'.
The ACC was the focus of the College Football Gameday podcast and when host Rece Davis brought up the Tar Heels, guest analyst Clawson had plenty to say.
First, Clawson said that Belichick's presence alone was a great thing for the ACC and a great thing for college football in the state. But the former Wake Forest coach didn't stop there. He believes that this might be UNC's first full commitment to realizing their potential in college football.
"I really view this as North Carolina's all-in moment in football," Clawson said. "I think they've always been viewed as a basketball school first and the level of investment they have in Bill, his staff, the strength staff and the level of investment they have in the players is a lot different than the support that Mack got."
The push for football to share the spotlight
There's no question that North Carolina has the reputation of being a basketball school and that's because the Tar Heels basketball program is a legendary brand in college sports. I don't necessarily believe their commitment to football is to challenge the line of thinking about UNC basketball. But rather, this was a unique opportunity to get the football program on level ground with the rest of the conference.
When the UNC brass decided to bring Belichick in, they knew there had to be a serious investment in resources for it to work. Belichick was going to need to bring in his people and modernize the operations of the program to reflect more of an NFL style.
Most of us believe this is going to work well on some level, especially when it comes to player development. The players on the roster believe that Belichick is going to put them in the best position to succeed and the fanbase is as excited as it's ever been for the start of the football season.
There have been a lot of changes in UNC football on and off the field since Belichick arrived. The roster was completely overhauled and the current group are there because Belichick believes they are the ones that will buy into what he wants.
And as long as the Tar Heels can avoid the injury bug and protect the football, Clawson believes the wins are there to be had.
"They have talent, they are going to be well-coached, and they have an extremely favorable schedule."