Wingate and UNC Pembroke will kick things off in late August. State-Carolina and Duke-Wake Forest will wrap it up on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The 2026 North Carolina college football schedule is nearly complete, and the docket already includes 54 games matching teams from the Old North State against each other.
That list stretches from longtime rivalries — Wolfpack vs. Tar Heels, Aggies vs. Eagles — to dozens of compelling matchups across the FCS, Division II and Division III levels.
Unless something changes, the 2026 schedule will feature at least one North Carolina vs. North Carolina showdown every weekend – except Week 12, the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
The early part of the season is the busiest. Labor Day weekend includes seven in-state matchups, followed by six more on Sept. 12 and seven more on Sept. 19. Week 11 on Nov. 14 also will feature six NC vs. NC contests.
North Carolina’s Division II programs do much of the heavy lifting. The state has 13 D2 teams, including six from the CIAA, and the schedule includes some type of in-state rivalry game or high-stakes conference duel almost every weekend.
Our ‘Game Day Central’ hub will track all the action
NC Football News’ new Game Day Central hub page will be your guide each week throughout the 2026 season. We’ll get you ready to follow your favorite team – or the whole state – with updated schedules, scoreboard links, TV info, previews, recaps and game-day updates from across the state.
Every NC team has at least one NC opponent
All 33 of North Carolina’s college teams play at least one in-state team in 2026, including our lone junior college squad, Louisburg, which faces Greensboro College’s JV squad in mid-September.
Fayetteville State and Livingstone have the busiest in-state schedule. The two Division II CIAA partners will play six Old North State neighbors, including playing against each other on Oct. 3 in Salisbury.
North Carolina Central will play five straight against North Carolina teams, including a D2 opponent (Elizabeth City State), an FBS foe (East Carolina) and three in-state FCS foes (North Carolina A&T, Campbell and Gardner-Webb).
ECU, App State and Charlotte will play an in-state Group of Five round-robin. Our five D3 teams – Brevard, Greensboro, Guilford, Methodist and North Carolina Wesleyan – will nearly complete a full round-robin, with Guilford-NC Wesleyan the only missing link.
Here are the teams with the most in-state games:
- 6 – Fayetteville State, Livingstone
- 5 – North Carolina Central, Winston-Salem State,
- 4 – NC State, Campbell, Elizabeth City State, Johnson C. Smith, Shaw, UNC Pembroke, Mars Hill, Wingate, Brevard, Greensboro, Methodist
- 3 – Appalachian State, Duke, East Carolina, Elon, North Carolina A&T, Barton, Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne, Guilford, North Carolina Wesleyan
- 2 – Charlotte, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Chowan
- 1 – Davidson, Gardner-Webb, Western Carolina, Louisburg
What’s Missing?
There are a few notable absences from the North Carolina vs. North Carolina slate in 2026. UNC and Wake Forest are not scheduled to meet this year, a notable and unfortunate loss as the ACC adjusts to being a 17-team football conference.
In the CIAA, Winston-Salem State won’t play Shaw, while Johnson C. Smith and Elizabeth City State also miss each other.
Here are other matchups we’d add to our 2026 calendars in a heartbeat if given the opportunity:
- App State vs. Wake Forest (last meeting was 2017)
- ECU vs. either UNC or NC State (Pirates played Pack in 2024, 2025)
- Charlotte vs. an in-state ACC team (49ers hosted UNC last season, have a home-and-home with NCSU set for 2030-31)
- North Carolina Central vs. Western Carolina (coming in 2027!)
- Johnson C. Smith vs. Wingate (our state’s D2 playoff teams from last season)
Why these games matter
In-state games help tell the story of North Carolina college football. They connect rivalries, conferences, recruiting footprints and fan bases across the state.
Some will shape conference championship races. Some will decide bragging rights that run a century deep. Some will give smaller programs a rare spotlight against a mightier foe. Together, they help show how deep the state’s college football ecosystem really is.
2026 North Carolina vs. North Carolina games, by week
Week 0 (Aug. 27-29)
Thursday, August 27
Wingate at UNC Pembroke
Saturday, August 29
Shaw at Fayetteville State
Week 1 (Sept. 5)
Western Carolina at Campbell
Elon at Davidson
Elizabeth City State at North Carolina Central
Shaw at Barton
UNC Pembroke at Fayetteville State
Mars Hill at Winston-Salem State
Guilford at Greensboro
Week 2 (Sept. 12)
Appalachian State at East Carolina
North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central
Catawba at Mars Hill
Johnson C. Smith at Winston-Salem State
Methodist at Guilford
Louisburg at Greensboro JV
Week 3 (Sept. 19)
Charlotte at Appalachian State
North Carolina A&T at Campbell
North Carolina Central at Gardner-Webb
Barton at Chowan
Fayetteville State at Johnson C. Smith
Mars Hill at Lenoir-Rhyne
Winston-Salem State at Livingstone
Week 4 (Sept. 26)
Appalachian State at NC State
North Carolina Central at East Carolina
Livingstone at Shaw
Brevard at Guilford
Week 5 (Oct. 3)
Campbell at North Carolina Central
Fayetteville State at Livingstone
Wingate at Catawba
Week 6 (Oct. 10)
Wake Forest at NC State
Shaw at Johnson C. Smith
Week 7 (Oct. 17)
North Carolina at Duke
Elizabeth City State at Fayetteville State
UNC Pembroke at Barton
Wingate at Lenoir-Rhyne
Week 8 (Oct. 24)
Chowan at UNC Pembroke
Elizabeth City State at Livingstone
Methodist at North Carolina Wesleyan
Week 9 (Oct. 31)
Elon at North Carolina A&T
Winston-Salem State at Elizabeth City State
Greensboro at Brevard
Week 10 (Nov. 7)
Duke at NC State
Fayetteville State at Winston-Salem State
Johnson C. Smith at Livingstone
Methodist at Brevard
North Carolina Wesleyan at Greensboro
Week 11 (Nov. 14)
East Carolina at Charlotte
Campbell at Elon
Lenoir-Rhyne at Catawba
Wingate at Mars Hill
Brevard at North Carolina Wesleyan
Greensboro at Methodist
Week 12 (Nov. 21)
No games this week
Week 13 (Nov. 28)
Duke at Wake Forest
NC State at North Carolina
👉 View the full 2026 North Carolina college football schedule, organized by week
