22 years ago today, the No. 4-ranked Miami Hurricanes walked into Chapel Hill to face the 3-4 North Carolina Tar Heels and head coach John Bunting, expecting to obliterate them.

That night, the Tar Heels went toe-to-toe with the Hurricanes, loaded with future top NFL talent. Connor Barth's 42-yard game-winning field goal sealed a major upset against Miami on Halloween Weekend 2004. That Hurricanes team featured Greg Olsen, Frank Gore, Devin Hester, Jon Beason, Antrel Rolle, and Brandon Meriweather.

Fast forward to 2026, and the Hurricanes once again face the Tar Heels (12-8 in conference play all-time) on Halloween Weekend, this time as the country's top-ranked team, against head coach Bill Belichick.

It's the ultimate trap game for Miami before their mega-clash against No. 5 Notre Dame in two weeks, which is why Belichick has another opportunity to shock college football by downing another No. 1-ranked team.

Tar Heels Are Unpredictable

I can't help but see the similarities between 22 years ago and today: North Carolina recently lost to No. 11-ranked Utah the game prior to their upset of Miami, and is also coming off a loss this year prior to Saturday to Syracuse. Different times and eras, I get it, but this feels intriguing, though the Tar Heels remain unpredictable and predicated on the player of starting quarterback Billy Edwards.

To overcome their sometimes unplayable passer, they have the weapons and potential run game to succeed against Miami's defense. Wide receiver Jordan Shipp is playing excellent football, while tight end Jelani Thurman is having a breakout season as a star tight end for the Tar Heels.

A lesson North Carolina could learn from history is to lean into their run game, using their healthy trio of Benjamin Hall, Jaylen McGill, and Demon June to establish a series attack that the Hurricanes may not be expecting, similar to how they did with Chad Scott, Darian Durant, and Madison Hedgecock, who tallied 274 rushing yards together against Miami in 2004.

The Tar Heels have been inconsistent on offense, unable to sustain drives after their opening scripted series. However, Belichick's defense is like any other defense of his from past years in the NFL: talented, disciplined, and rarely giving up big plays outside of Notre Dame and Syracuse.

Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah hasn't faced a defense that could give him problems in the passing game and within the pocket thus far, and North Carolina could be the team to do so. I expect them to, and Belichick's defenses have performed better in heightened matchups. Though college football's second-best wide receiver, Malachi Toney, will be one of the biggest tasks the Tar Heels face this season individually.

No No. 1 Team Is Safe

As we've seen over the last few weeks, the No. 1-ranked team is vulnerable. Miami could be the next victim this weekend. I don't think being at the top spot guarantees safety from an upset, and it's quite the opposite.

The Hurricanes will now become the hunted in the coming weeks, including Saturday night in Chapel Hill on primetime ABC. This isn't Pittsburgh or Stanford, teams they destroyed this year. This will be a motivated North Carolina program hungry for a win after last week's disappointment.

Miami is loaded with future NFL talent on both sides of the ball. It will be a difficult outing, and it could very well lead to another dominant victory. Yet North Carolina feels scrappy this season, battling it out until the very end, and they can do the same.

History tends to repeat itself. We saw it happen 22 years ago on that fateful Halloween Eve night. It can happen again over two decades later on the same weekend.