The North Carolina Tar Heels take on the Syracuse Orange today in what is expected to be a truly terrifying ACC matchup.

North Carolina has been a disaster in Year 1 under coach Bill Belichick. Still winless against power conference competition, the Tar Heels have been outclassed for much of the season.

The North Carolina Tar Heels face the Syracuse Orange on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York.

North Carolina will take on Syracuse in the biggest must-win of the season. Here are our picks to win the game, along with some analysis. : North

Syracuse is in its second season under head coach Fran Brown. Brown was a former assistant at Georgia from 2022-23 and led the Orange to a 10-win season in 2024, ending in a 52-34 win over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.

The Orange got off to a 3-1 start and looked like a potential dark horse in the ACC after upsetting Clemson on Sept. 20, but they lost starting quarterback Steve Angeli in that contest and have looked like a completely different team without the former Notre Dame signal-caller.

Freshman Joseph Filardi is expected to start under center for Syracuse's game against the UNC Tarheels on Friday.