Bill Belichick's first season with the Tar Heels could go several different ways. His coaching acumen could easily translate to the college game, therefore raising the floor for his players and getting them into relevancy. It could also fail to translate, sending them to the bottom of the ACC.
The middle ground is that Belichick's coaching is good, but his roster is not. It was a bad team he took over, and he rebuilt them through the transfer portal. There's no telling which way that will go, but one transfer player could bring them success.
Out of 136 teams, The Athletic's Chris Vannini ranked them 50th and revealed that it's Lopez who will make or break the season. "No one’s quite sure what to expect from Bill Belichick’s team, especially with so much roster turnover, but South Alabama QB transfer Gio Lopez is talented."
50th is a pretty good mark for a team that's been very middling for most of the last couple of years. They had no quarterback (or a bunch, but either way, it's not a good thing) last season. Now, they have one that Belichick might be able to work with.
If that talent translates, then UNC might be better than you think. If it doesn't, then the Belichick era might get off to a really inauspicious start.