Pat McAfee boldly predicts Bill Belichick, North Carolina to win ACC

Those who routinely watch “The Pat McAfee Show” know that the namesake host and former All-Pro punter takes his job quite seriously. Yes, he cracks jokes and does his shtick, but the man obviously comes to work prepared. Alas, one audacious prediction can cause people to completely dismiss that fact. McAfee came in hot for the first College GameDay of the season.

The incredibly popular media personality and analyst drifted away from the rest of the panel and picked North Carolina football to win the ACC, via the CFB Kings X account. Super Bowl 31 MVP Desmond Howard, all-time great college football coach Nick Saban and Grammy-winning country music star Lainey Wilson all chose the heavy favorite Miami.

Perhaps he was merely going against the crowd, or having a bit of fun, or using the eye test to determine that Bill Belichick is still a defensive savant. Regardless of the reasoning, fans are hammering the man. There is a method to the madness, though.

Pat McAfee picks Bill Belichick and North Carolina to win the ACC pic.twitter.com/a8Q8V7p50l

— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) September 5, 2026

If there is a Power Four conference that will go kablooey and defy all expectations, it is probably the ACC. Duke won the league in 2025 with a 9-5 overall record. The Hurricanes lost at home to Louisville and fell in overtime at SMU, while preseason No. 4 Clemson won just seven games. Miami ultimately fulfilled its potential and advanced to the national championship, but the point stands. This conference is rife with chaos.

And if one were to predict the team that could outlast the chaos, a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach sounds like a reasonable guy to back.

North Carolina football already silenced some of its doubters by earning a 15-10 victory over TCU in Dublin last Saturday. A successful showing versus Clemson in Death Valley on Sept. 19 would force the public to seriously consider the Tar Heels as an ACC contender. A Halloween night clash with the visiting Canes could make a thunderous statement.

We cannot get ahead of ourselves, however. Bill Belichick and North Carolina still have much to prove, particularly on offense. The hype train could come to a crash in the next month. Clemson or Notre Dame can ensure of that. But Pat McAfee is a believer. Stifling defense can lift a team quite high in this sport and mask other blemishes. There are multiple avenues to glory in this league, and Belichick intends to trudge through the mud in order to snatch the ACC throne.

East Tennessee State can quickly end the suspense and make McAfee the biggest punchline in the sport if it pulls off a mind-boggling upset in Chapel Hill next Saturday afternoon. And do not forget, this program has more to worry about than just football this season.

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