Belichick's New Era Continues to Fizzle

Bill Belichick's much-heralded transition to the college football ranks has turned into a harsh reality check. His University of North Carolina Tar Heels are now 2-3 following Saturday's blowout loss to Clemson, hardly a national powerhouse. In short, after 10 months with Belichick at the helm, "enthusiasm has all but vanished," per the Wall Street Journal. The story takes a big-picture look at what's going on.

Belichick, now 73, insists the fix is a matter of refinement, not overhaul, but UNC donors appear to be growing antsy. "Belichick promised boosters that 2025 would be a rebuilding season, but it's been rough even by those standards," per the story, which notes that the Tar Heels have been outscored 120-33 by teams in big conferences.

Of course, the distractions have come off the field as well, mostly via Belichick's much-younger girlfriend, Jordan Hudson. (She's the one who has moved to trademark the phrase "gold digger.") But to make matters worse for Belichick, his former New England Patriots team in the NFL is on the upswing after hitting rock bottom in Belichick's final season. Read the full story.)