On Monday, September 1, American football fans will witness something unusual, a marquee college football matchup taking center stage on a night traditionally reserved for the NFL. In what feels less like a scheduling fluke and more like a strategic strike, UNC will face TCU in a game packed with talent, storylines, and most importantly, symbolism.
The most intriguing subplot isn’t just the talent on the field it’s the presence of Bill Belichick, now head coach at UNC, making his college football debut under the primetime lights. Belichick was hired by the Tar Heels in December 2024, and by “coincidence”, just a month later in January 2025, the decision was made to move this highly anticipated game from its originally scheduled Saturday, August 30 to Monday night.
Coincidence? Highly unlikely.
Belichick, who was effectively blacklisted by NFL ownership after his long tenure in New England, is now in a position to challenge the very league that cast him aside, not on the field directly, but on the airwaves and in the advertising budgets. The NIL era has already cracked open the college football landscape, giving large college football programs new tools to build teams loaded with top level talent. Now, with Monday Night Football sitting idle until the NFL kicks off the following week, college football appears ready to test the limits of its own ambitions.
This scheduling move may be college football’s first direct step into the NFL’s media territory. For decades, college football respected the NFL’s domain over Monday nights. In fact in the entire history of college football only one regular season college game was played on a Monday evening, that was on September 9, 1974: Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech. This game also took place "before" the NFL season started and it surely is no coicidence that Monday evening was never again touched by a college team until now.
But in the post-NIL world with star players operating as brands, alumni bases energized by high-profile hires, and TV networks hungry for content that unwritten rule may be about to change.
At the center of this moment is Belichick. He knows the value of structure, leverage, and competition. It’s hard not to imagine him relishing the idea of building a college powerhouse that doesn’t just win games, but starts to chip away at the NFL’s $14 billion TV empire. In fact, it’s hard not to imagine him helping college football develop a strategy to compete for the same audience, starting with something as symbolic as Monday night football game that’s not the NFL.
UNC vs. TCU will be an entertaining contest. But it might also be something more, a broadcast beachhead in a broader cultural and commercial shift. If ratings soar and buzz builds, don’t be surprised to see more college programs start circling Monday night as prime real estate.
It’s not just a game. It’s a quiet challenge to the football hierarchy. And it starts one week before the NFL even kicks off.
I know I will be watching!
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