Love him or hate him, you’re probably going to watch.
Bill Belichick makes his college football debut Monday night when his North Carolina Tar Heels take on TCU, and ESPN is betting big that people will tune in. While Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit will handle the call, Chris Fowler understands exactly why this game matters from a television perspective.
During a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Fowler pushed back on the notion that Belichick won’t make for compelling viewing. Patrick had argued that, unlike Deion Sanders at Colorado, who brings natural entertainment value with his sons and Travis Hunter, Belichick isn’t particularly engaging TV.
“You don’t think so? His press conferences are good TV,” Fowler countered.
Patrick isn’t wrong about Belichick lacking Sanders’ natural entertainment factor. But Fowler sees a different kind of appeal, one that isn’t as sexy.
“Don’t you think with the Patriots, people would watch them because they wanted to see them lose? It didn’t happen that often,” Fowler continued. “But, I think people will want to see how his team looks. I think some people want him to succeed. And I think some people want him to fail. And, so, there’s a compelling tune-in, at least early in the season. [ESPN] is expecting big ratings for that Labor Day night game, TCU and Carolina.
Fowler understands that TV appeal goes beyond pure entertainment value. Belichick brings curiosity and polarization, which might be even more compelling than Sanders’ natural charisma.
ESPN is expecting significant ratings for Monday’s Labor Day matchup, banking on what one network programmer called “the potential” for Belichick to draw Deion Sanders-level viewership. Sanders’ Colorado debut against this same TCU team drew 7.26 million viewers. UNC’s standalone Monday night slot could actually surpass that.
“There’s a lot of curiosity watchers,” Fowler noted. “I think that, look, no one knows how that team’s going to gel. I think they should be well-coached, but in the ACC, it’s pretty balanced. Games come down to the finish. Can Belichick finish on Saturdays? Can he make a difference with adjustments? Can they win close games? If they can, they can be in the mix in the conference. They’re not going to be the most talented team; that’s Clemson and then Miami. But, I’m interested to see how they do overall, not just Monday night.”
The Belichick-UNC story has legs beyond initial novelty. The football questions are genuinely compelling. Can the greatest NFL coach of the modern era adapt his methods to college? How will his no-nonsense approach work with 18-year-olds? What happens when he faces real adversity for the first time in years?
Then there’s the Jordon Hudson of it all.
All of this just adds to Fowler’s point about people wanting to see Belichick succeed or fail. Some viewers will tune in hoping to see the coaching legend reclaim his reputation. Others might be waiting for the entire experiment to implode.
ESPN has positioned itself perfectly to capitalize on either outcome. The network will air between eight and 10 UNC games this season, giving them multiple opportunities to ride whatever wave Belichick creates. They’re opening with a full-court press Monday night with a live show from Chapel Hill featuring Matt Barrie, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and others before Davis and Herbstreit call the game.
The smart money says Fowler is right about the early-season intrigue. UNC will start strong in the ratings regardless of how they play, driven purely by curiosity about how this experiment unfolds. The real test will come later in the season when the novelty wears off and the football has to carry the story.
Monday night will tell us if Fowler’s instincts are right.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.