CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) – The Bill Belichick era has finally arrived in Chapel Hill, and it’s going to be a costly one.
Almost nine months after being hired as North Carolina’s new football coach, Belichick and the Tar Heels will take the field for the first time in their prime-time season opener against TCU on Labor Day.
While excitement is certainly in the air among fans, the cost of cheering on their favorite team at Kenan Memorial Stadium has soared tremendously.
UNC saw a significant jump in the gameday affordability. The total price for two fans to attend a home game rose 56.1% compared to last season, which marks the highest increase among all schools in the top 100 rankings, according to a recent study from Oddspedia.
The average cost for two fans to experience a football game at Kenan Stadium is $267, the study shows. This number takes expenses such as tickets, drinks, food and parking into account, making it the ninth most expensive NCAA gameday experience in the country. The study also concluded that two tickets alone now average $180 in price.
The leap in prices is largely due to sweeping changes in the college sports landscape, such as revenue-sharing with athletes, along with Belichick’s $10 million per year salary.
The legendary NFL coach, who spearheaded the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, brought unprecedented exposure and demand to the UNC football program. All season and single-game tickets for home games are already sold out, nearly a month before the start of the 2025 season.
This is the earliest that all tickets for an entire season have ever been sold out in program history.
UNC isn’t the only college football program in the Triangle dealing with a surge in gameday prices. Over in Durham, the average cost for a fan to go to a Duke game has climbed 34.4% year-over-year, making it the ninth largest increase nationwide, the study shows.
Colorado topped the list as the most expensive college gameday experience for fans, with Alabama, Texas, Notre Dame and Georgia rounding out the top five.
Top 10 Most Expensive NCAA Football Gamedays
| 2025 Rank | 2024 Rank | Team | Stadium | Total Cost | YoY Difference |
| 1. | 4. | Colorado Buffaloes | Folsom Field | $302 | +15.7% |
| 2. | 9. | Alabama Crimson Tide | Bryant-Denny Stadium | $295 | +21.4% |
| 3. | 6. | Texas Longhorns | Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium | $292 | +15.9% |
| 4. | 7. | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Notre Dame Stadium | $291 | +19.3% |
| 5. | 15. | Georgia Bulldogs | Sanford Stadium | $289 | +25.7% |
| 6. | 1. | UCLA Bruins | Rose Bowl | $284 | -4.7% |
| 7. | 7. | South Carolina Gamecocks | Williams-Brice Stadium | $277 | +13.5% |
| 8. | 5. | Texas A&M Aggies | Kyle Field | $268 | +4.3% |
| 9. | 56. | North Carolina Tar Heels | Kenan Memorial Stadium | $267 | +56.1% |
| 10. | 23. | Kansas Jayhawks | David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium | $265 | +20.2% |