"And when you think of college football in the fall, you certainly think of Friday night games, Atlantic Coast Conference football at a venue overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and Bill Belichick. Wait, what? Yes, it is indeed a strange moment for America's most absurd sport, which is truly outdoing itself these days. Not an ounce of this makes sense. Not a bit of it is normal."
"What started with palace intrigue in Chapel Hill (the athletic director being overridden by boosters to hire Belchick) then led to bedroom intrigue (what's going on there?!). Now there's coaches' room intrigue (who would have thought Michael Lombardi couldn't effectively run a college football program?). It's all resulted in three straight blowout losses, a woeful 2-3 record, and a dreaded vote of confidence less than two months into Belichick's first season."
"Because for a program that has long needed a big-stage, course-setting breakthrough win, one has presented itself on a peculiar day in a bizarre league against a weird opponent. The eyes of the college football world, and perhaps even the sporting world, will be on Berkeley Friday, albeit for perverse reasons: Belichick, arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time, is trying his hand at the college game this season for North Carolina. It's not going well."
College football has entered an unusually strange moment with unexpected developments reshaping expectations. Bill Belichick accepted the North Carolina job amid booster influence and off-field controversy. His tenure at North Carolina has produced three straight blowout losses, a 2-3 record, and an early vote of confidence. The Cal Bears host North Carolina on a Friday night, offering a rare big-stage opportunity for a program that needs a course-setting breakthrough. National attention will focus on Berkeley as observers watch whether Belichick's transition to the college game falters further and whether Cal can capitalize.
Read at The Mercury News
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