When is someone in the media calling out Nick Saban for shielding his boy, North Carolina coach Bill Belichick?
On ESPN’s Gameday prediction segment two Saturdays ago, Saban picked North Carolina to win on the road at Clemson. Not so fast, Nick. Clemson won, 28-20.
We know Saban is a champion of rehabilitating coaches, and, of course, we all make bad predictions. The issue with this one is the qualifier Saban offered. A retired millionaire coach shamelessly felt the need to shield a coach with a five-year, $50 million deal.
Saban said Belichick improved his team’s quarterback play from last season’s 4-8 record, meaning he brought in Billy Edwards Jr. to play for his fourth school in six years to replace Gio Lopez.
But Saban’s comment ignored Lopez’s performance a little more than 12 hours earlier on Friday night against Miami (then ranked No. 5, now No. 4). Despite Wake Forest falling, 33-20, Lopez gave the Hurricanes their first challenge of the year. He finished 29-of-46 passing for 312 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
Miami’s other three wins were over Stanford by 39 points (45-6); Florida A&M, 70-0 (77-7); and Central Michigan, 49 (52-3). Stanford’s QBs were 22-of-42, 214 yards, 0 TDs, 0 interceptions; Florida A&M, 11-of-26, 70 yards, 0 TDs, 0 interceptions; and CMU’s, 21-of-26, 137 yards, 0 TDs and one interception.
Meanwhile, Edwards’ numbers against unranked Clemson were 13 of 30 for 135 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Late in the fourth quarter, with North Carolina trailing 21-20, Edwards went six plays before a fourth-down incompletion. On UNC’s last possession with Clemson leading 28-20, Edwards threw a fourth-down interception.
In Clemson’s other three games, LSU’s QBs were 22-of-36 for 335 yards, 2 two TDs, 0 interceptions; Georgia Southern’s QBs, 27-of-47, 244 yards, 1 TD, 0 interceptions; and Cal’s 17-of-30, 145 yards, 0 TD, two interceptions.
Nick, you owe Lopez an apology. And not just for your prediction two weekends ago.
Lopez followed up the Miami game by leading Wake Forest to a 30-27 upset of No. 16-ranked Louisville on the Cardinals’ field. Lopez finished 12 of 19 for 225 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
We know what Lopez thinks about Belichick, although that requires reading between the lines of his comment at the ACC Kickoff media days. He was asked about transferring from South Alabama to North Carolina and Belichick in 2025 and then to Wake Forest to play for coach Jake Dickert in 2026.
“If I had to give a younger guy some rules about transfer portal, I would say just go somewhere you feel comfortable and where you feel truly wanted. If you feel like you’re just a number somewhere or you’re chasing financial gain, then that’s maybe your thing, but for me playing for Coach Dickert has been a really positive light and knowing that he knows me more than as No. 3.”
Wake Forest is now 3-1 and drawing “votes among others” in both the Associated Press writers’ poll and American Football Coaches Association coaches’ poll. The Demon Deacons’ first two wins were over Akron, 38-16, and at Purdue in double-overtime, 38-36.
Against Akron, Lopez completed 21 of 32 passes for 350 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. At Purdue, he finished 16 of 27 for 225 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He also rushed 14 times for 58 and two touchdowns on Purdue’s field.
North Carolina’s first two games were a 15-10 win over Texas Christian and 35-3 rout of East Tennessee State. Saban based his “better quarterback play” defense of Belichick on these Edwards numbers: He was 16 of 28 for 232 yards without a touchdown or interception against TCU and 15 of 20 for 244 with two TDs and without an interception versus ETSU.
Maybe Edwards will catch fire and surpass Lopez as the season progresses. Maybe not since it won’t be easy.
North Carolina plays host this week to No. 3 Notre Dame (4-0). The Tar Heels hit the road the next two weeks against 4-0 teams, Pitt and Duke. In the writers’ poll, Pitt and Duke have votes among others. In the coaches’ poll, Duke is newly ranked at No. 21 and Pitt remains “among others.”
North Carolina faces Miami on Halloween in Chapel Hill, but the Tar Heels are spared a grudge match against Lopez.
And there’s this to consider: Through one season and the start of the second, Dickert’s record is 12-5 with fewer resources than Belichick’s 6-9 mark.
The only way to expect Saban to apologize is if Miss Terry told him to do so. Do you think 25-year-old Jordon Hudson can tell her 74-year-old curmudgeon boyfriend to do the right thing?
Saban and Belichick are straight out of central casting if Hollywood remakes “Grumpy Old Men.” Belichick, who rose to coaching prominence in the NFL under sardonic Bill Parcells, has all of Parcells’ bad traits and none of his good ones. Saban has all of Belichick’s bad traits and … does Belichick have any good ones?
The millionaire Saban shielding millionaire Belichick is akin to billionaires asking Congress for tax breaks with the lost revenue shifted to the backs of the working men and women.
Nick, how about asking Home Depot to shift money paid to you for commercials – which play off your grouchiness — to working-man coaches at schools lacking excessive NIL budgets?
Wouldn’t that help achieve the equity among schools that you claim can result from Congress passing the Protect College Sports Act?
