Non-Saturday college football games used to be a rarity in North Carolina. Once again this season, they will be commonplace.
While not all schools have released schedules yet, the calendar is already filling up with weeknight college football involving the Old North State. Nearly every week will feature at least one North Carolina college team in action on a Thursday or Friday night.
The ACC’s decision this week to move the UNC at Cal game to Friday, Oct. 17 gives us 16 non-Saturday contests so far. This includes the Labor Day Monday season opener between TCU and North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
The number of non-Saturday games may grow even more as FBS and FCS conferences continue to work out TV plans and as Division II teams drip out their schedules in the coming weeks and months.
East Carolina will play on Thursday night four times this fall – twice on the road (at NC State and Tulane) and twice at home in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (Army, Tulsa). Charlotte will appear once on a Thursday (home vs. Rice) and three times on Friday (App State, at South Florida, North Texas).
Bill Belichick’s first team at North Carolina will play under Friday night lights twice in October, visiting Cal and Syracuse. NC State will host Florida State on the Friday before Thanksgiving, a weekend when the high school state playoffs will be in full swing.
In-state rivalry matchups NCSU-at-Wake Forest and ECU-at-NC State both will be Thursday games. Even FCS Campbell is getting into the act, opening its season at Rhode Island on Friday, Aug. 29. Only Duke does not have a Thursday or Friday game from our state’s FBS contingent.
The MEAC moved a pair of North Carolina Central’s games to Thursday/Friday time slots last season. So far, the Eagles don’t have any midweek games on the docket for 2025. Mars Hill and Barton College opened their seasons with Thursday games in 2024.
More than 20 games involving North Carolina college teams were played on Thursdays and Fridays last fall.
Once, pairing college football with Friday nights was taboo, clashing with the sacred high school football calendar. But as conferences and college programs chase visibility and cash, the tradition to protect Fridays for preps has mostly been tossed aside. Conferences can’t resist the lure of national TV exposure, spotlighting just a few college games on weeknights.
How soon until we see ACC or AAC showdowns lighting up Tuesdays or Wednesdays?
Non-Saturday college football games used to be rare. Now they are commonplace. Nearly every weekend of the 2025 season will feature an NC team playing on Thursday-Friday, even one Monday: 👇
Thursday, Aug. 28: East Carolina at NC State
Friday, Aug. 29: Appalachian State at… — NC Football News (@NCFootballNews) March 5, 2025
Do you agree with the decision by conferences and TV to put more North Carolina college games on Thursdays and Fridays? Click on the post above and leave your comments.
Non-Saturday college football | 2025 Season
Thursday, Aug. 28: East Carolina at NC State
Friday, Aug. 29: Appalachian State at Charlotte, Kennesaw State at Wake Forest, Campbell at Rhode Island
Monday, Sept. 1: TCU at North Carolina
Thursday, Sept. 11: NC State at Wake Forest
Thursday, Sept. 18: Rice at Charlotte
Thursday, Sept. 25: Army at East Carolina
Friday, Oct. 3: Charlotte at South Florida
Thursday, Oct. 9: East Carolina at Tulane
Thursday, Oct. 16: Tulsa at East Carolina
Friday, Oct. 17: North Carolina at Cal
Friday, Oct. 24: North Texas at Charlotte
Friday, Oct. 31: North Carolina at Syracuse
Thursday, Nov. 6: Appalachian State at Georgia Southern
Friday, Nov. 21: Florida State at NC State
