Overview

• North Carolina is 2-3 with three lopsided losses to power-conference opponents and ranks last among power programs in scoring and total offense, according to AP and Sportradar.
• UNC suspended cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins for alleged impermissible benefits to players’ families and reminded the team that selling complimentary tickets violates NCAA and ACC rules.
• Bill Belichick and athletic director Bubba Cunningham issued statements affirming mutual commitment, and ESPN’s Pete Thamel described the situation as a short-term commitment with a likely season-end crossroads.
• The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Belichick and GM Michael Lombardi have told associates they plan to stay, and Belichick was photographed recruiting at a Maryland high school game during the bye week.
• ESPN’s College GameDay panel publicly backed Belichick as Kirk Herbstreit appeared to receive a call from him on-air, while an NBC Sports write-up highlighted program insiders’ suspicions—reported by The Athletic—that some negative coverage traces to New England.