By our count, there are 301 scheduled college football games involving North Carolina teams this coming season – from Division 1 FBS and FCS contests to D2, D3 and junior college matchups.
They are all important of course. And being a statewide college football website, we plan to track each and every one of them.
But with the season almost on the doorstep we’ve scanned the entire slate and identified 25 games that we believe stand apart from the rest. These are the contests that could best define the flavor of the season across the Old North State.
We’ve divided our list into four distinct categories:
🏈 Opening Weekend Gems
Four chances for North Carolina teams to make a statement right out of the gates.
⭐ Intriguing September Showdowns
Early-season matchups that could shape conference races, national perception and momentum heading into the heart of the season.
🔥 Rivalry Heat
Historic feuds, regional bragging rights and games where records often take a back seat to emotion.
🏆 Championship Chase
Marquee matchups with conference titles, playoff positioning and postseason aspirations on the line, either for a North Carolina team or a visiting opponent.
Think of this as your roadmap to the 2026 season.
Throughout the summer, NC Football News will take a deeper look at each of these matchups, exploring the storylines, players, coaches and implications that make them worth watching. Once the season begins, we’ll continue updating these game pages with previews, results and links to our coverage, making this a season-long resource for North Carolina football fans.
Did we leave off a game that belongs on this list? Think we overrated another? We’d love to hear from you. Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts with us on X.
Enough chatter, let’s get to the list! Scroll below the table for what is compelling about each matchup.
25 North Carolina College Football Games That Could Define the 2026 Season
| Date | Game | Category | Preview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 27 | Wingate at UNC Pembroke | 🏈 Opening Weekend Gems | Coming Soon |
| Aug. 28 | Virginia Union at Lenoir-Rhyne | 🏈 Opening Weekend Gems | Coming Soon |
| Aug. 29 | UNC vs. TCU (Ireland) | 🏈 Opening Weekend Gems | Coming Soon |
| Aug. 29 | Johnson C. Smith at Benedict | 🏈 Opening Weekend Gems | Coming Soon |
| Sept. 5 | East Carolina at Alabama | 🎯 September Spotlight | Coming Soon |
| Sept. 5 | UNC Pembroke at Fayetteville State | 🎯 September Spotlight | Coming Soon |
| Sept. 5 | Guilford at Greensboro | 🎯 September Spotlight | Coming Soon |
| Sept. 6 | Johnson C. Smith at Albany State | 🎯 September Spotlight | Coming Soon |
| Sept. 12 | Appalachian State at East Carolina | 🔥 Rivalry Heat | Coming Soon |
| Sept. 12 | NC A&T at NC Central | 🔥 Rivalry Heat | Coming Soon |
| Sept. 18 | Miami at Wake Forest | 🎯 September Spotlight | Coming Soon |
| Sept. 19 | Fayetteville St at Johnson C. Smith | 🏆 Championship Chase | Coming Soon |
| Sept. 26 | Appalachian State at NC State | 🎯 September Spotlight | Coming Soon |
| Oct. 3 | North Greenville at UNC Pembroke | 🏆 Championship Chase | Coming Soon |
| Oct. 3 | Notre Dame at UNC | 🏆 Championship Chase | Coming Soon |
| Oct. 3 | Tennessee Tech at Western Carolina | 🏆 Championship Chase | Coming Soon |
| Oct. 17 | UNC at Duke | 🔥 Rivalry Heat | Coming Soon |
| Oct. 17 | Wingate at Lenoir-Rhyne | 🔥 Rivalry Heat | Coming Soon |
| Oct. 23 | Duke at Virginia | 🏆 Championship Chase | Coming Soon |
| Nov. 7 | Fayetteville St at Winston-Salem St | 🔥 Rivalry Heat | Coming Soon |
| Nov. 7 | Johnson C. Smith at Livingstone | 🔥 Rivalry Heat | Coming Soon |
| Nov. 7 | NC State at Duke | 🔥 Rivalry Heat | Coming Soon |
| Nov. 14 | East Carolina at Charlotte | 🔥 Rivalry Heat | Coming Soon |
| Nov. 14 | NC Central at SC State | 🏆 Championship Chase | Coming Soon |
| Nov. 28 | NC State at UNC | 🔥 Rivalry Heat | Coming Soon |
🏈 Opening Weekend Gems
Wingate at UNC Pembroke
Thursday, Aug. 27
The “I-74 Rivalry” has been a staple of the D2 season in our state since the first meeting in 2007. Wingate has had the upper hand lately, but recent games have been tightly contested. This will be an intriguing clash of styles. Wingate thrives on swarming defense. UNC Pembroke’s offense can set your scoreboard on fire.
Virginia Union at Lenoir-Rhyne
Friday, Aug. 28
This feels more like a November playoff matchup than an opening-weekend game. In fact, these teams met in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Division II playoffs, where Virginia Union knocked off the Bears. Revenge could be on Lenoir-Rhyne’s mind, while both programs will be looking to make an early statement in their pursuit of conference championships.
UNC vs. TCU | Aer Lingus College Football Classic (Ireland)
Saturday, Aug. 29
This game looms as one of the most intriguing across the whole college football spectrum, not just in North Carolina. Year two of Bill Belichick at UNC. International audience. Same matchup as last year’s season opener, when the Heels looked good for one series and then crashed. The first glimpse at whether the Belichick experiment might actually work in Chapel Hill – or whether skeptics’ concerns are justified.
Johnson C. Smith at Benedict
Saturday, Aug. 29
JCSU will be defending a conference title for the first time in more than 50 years. This will be the first look at what the Golden Bulls have in store for an encore – against an equally hungry Benedict team coming off its own magical 2025 run that included one of the wildest playoff finishes ever against Wingate.
⭐ Intriguing September Showdowns
East Carolina at Alabama
Saturday, Sept. 5
East Carolina is coming off a nine-win season and has been mentioned by pundits as a darkhorse to win the American Conference in 2026. You can’t get a much better measuring stick than opening against one of the premier programs in all the land, in their home stadium. Can the Pirates turn Tuscaloosa purple?
UNC Pembroke at Fayetteville State
Saturday, Sept. 5
Another under-the-radar regional rivalry among two of our state’s Division II teams. Known as the Two Rivers Classic, the early-season showdown has produced nailbiters every year since 2022, with each team stealing victories with clutch plays in the final minutes and seconds (FSU in 2022 and 2024, UNCP in 2023 and 2025).
Guilford at Greensboro
Saturday, Sept. 5
A bowl game in North Carolina in September? Yes, this annual Gate City showdown between D3 neighbors has come to be known as the Soup Bowl and includes a food drive that benefits local charities. Greensboro ended a losing streak against the rival Quakers last fall. Can they keep the trophy a second year?
Johnson C. Smith at Albany State
Sunday, Sept. 6
The Golden Bulls’ schedule is front-loaded with marquee matchups. Game two for the Bulls pits them against the SIAC champs in a Sunday time slot in the Black Hall of Fame Classic in Canton, OH. If JCSU is 2-0 after this weekend, the 2026 season could be shaping up to be even more special than 2025.
Miami at Wake Forest
Friday, Sept. 18
A marquee opponent with legit national championship hopes comes to Allegacy Stadium for a Friday night nationally televised contest. This sounds like the perfect “Built in the Dark” upset spot for Wake Forest and second-year coach Jake Dickert.
Appalachian State at NC State
Saturday, Sept. 26
The “giant-killers” from Boone have beaten Michigan in the Big House. They have wins against UNC, South Carolina, Texas A&M. But App State has never beaten NC State in football in six tries. This will be the first meeting in 20 years and will be the first leg of a home-and-home series that will see the Wolfpack come up the mountain in 2028. Is this the most anticipated non-conference game of the entire season in our state?
🔥 Rivalry Heat
North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central
Saturday, Sept. 12
This may be the state’s biggest football rivalry not involving one of the “Big Four” ACC schools. Aggies vs. Eagles has more than a century’s worth of history, but NCCU has had the upper hand in recent years. This will be NC A&T’s first trip to Durham since being the victim of the “Rout 66” (66-24) loss two seasons ago.
Appalachian State at East Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 12
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but we still think East Carolina football belongs in the Sun Belt East with App State and other natural regional rivals like Marshall, James Madison, Coastal Carolina, etc.
ECU and App State first played each other in football in the 1930s, but the meetings haven’t been as frequent in recent decades. The Pirates will be looking to stop a three-game skid in the series after winning six in a row. We’ll say it again: These two teams, whose fans embody some of our state’s deepest football passions, should play every year.
North Carolina at Duke
Saturday, Oct. 17
Since 1948, the Tar Heels and Blue Devils have been playing for the Victory Bell. UNC still dominates the all-time series vs their neighbors – including a 13-game win streak from 1990 to 2002. But Duke currently holds possession the Bell – and bragging rights as ACC champions, something UNC hasn’t been able to say in football since 1980.
Wingate at Lenoir-Rhyne
Saturday, Oct. 17
Lenoir-Rhyne made one of its biggest in-state football rivals its homecoming guest this season. Bulletin board material for Wingate? The Bears and Bulldogs played one of the most exciting games in our state last fall, with Wingate prevailing 38-37 in overtime to keep playoff hopes alive. Lenoir-Rhyne matched a Wingate touchdown in the extra period but fell short on a two-point conversion attempt.
NC State at Duke
Saturday, Nov. 7
State-Carolina might be the marquee football rivalry in our state (see below). But Wolfpack-Blue Devils might have the most at stake by the time we reach November. If NC State can navigate a manageable schedule, and Duke can continue to overachieve like it has in recent seasons, this contest could have Charlotte and/or major bowl game implications.
Fayetteville State at Winston-Salem State
Saturday, Nov. 7
At last year’s CIAA media day in Durham, Fayetteville State coach Richard Hayes refused to take his team on the main stage until they cleared the Winston-Salem State graphics from the video boards around the room. Yes, it’s that kind of rivalry. And this year’s Broncos vs. Rams clash will come on the final Saturday of the regular season, where a lot could be at stake when the teams assemble at the iconic Bowman Gray.
Johnson C. Smith at Livingstone
Saturday, Nov. 7
Known as the Commemorative Classic, this is the oldest HBCU football rivalry in the nation – dating back to a game on a snow-covered field in Salisbury in December 1892. Livingstone chilled Johnson C. Smith’s CIAA title hopes in 2024, but the Golden Bulls avenged that loss and sealed a spot in the CIAA title game with a win over the Blue Bears late last season.
East Carolina at Charlotte
Saturday, Nov. 14
The 49ers haven’t been playing football for that long. And they’ve only faced ECU on the gridiron three times total. But this is already developing into a serious blood-feud, fueled by Charlotte’s victories – and subsequent glee and trash talking – in the first two meetings in 2023 and 2024.
NC State at North Carolina
Saturday, Nov. 28
This is and probably always will be the flagship football rivalry in our state. While UNC still has a sizeable lead in the overall series (68-41-6), the matchups have leaned decidedly red in the 2000s. Coach Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack have won five in a row. NCSU has captured eight of the last 10 and 14 of the last 19.
UNC will be the host school for this year’s showdown on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, hoping to win at Kenan Stadium for the first time since 2020.
🏆 Championship Chase
Fayetteville State at Johnson C. Smith
Saturday, Sept. 19
One of the most iconic images of the 2025 season came late in the fourth quarter of Johnson C. Smith’s 17-14 win at Fayetteville State, with running back Bobby Smith dragging tacklers with him on the way to the end zone for the go-ahead points. That win helped propel JCSU into the CIAA title game. This year’s meeting will come much earlier in the schedule and could set the tone for both schools on their quests to reach the 2026 CIAA championship showdown.
Notre Dame at UNC
Saturday, Oct. 3
Notre Dame has the highest preseason rank of any opponent facing a North Carolina FBS team this season. Most national outlets put the Fighting Irish in the top five and believe Marcus Freeman’s group can actually win the whole thing.
UNC is much more of a mystery. The Tar Heels will have two weeks to prepare for the Irish after facing Clemson on the road Sept. 19. Notre Dame has tended to have at least one untimely stumble early in seasons under Freeman. This game could be the ultimate spoiler opportunity for Bill Belichick, who made his name humbling opponents during his NFL tenure.
Tennessee Tech at Western Carolina
Saturday, Oct. 3
Western Carolina is still searching for its first-ever Southern Conference championship in football. But Kerwin Bell and the Catamounts have been knocking on the door in recent seasons – finishing second behind Mercer last fall – and have been listed among the contenders again heading into 2026.
Tennessee Tech arrives as a new challenger. The Golden Eagles went undefeated en route to the OVC/Big South crown last season and will be looking to make immediate waves in their new league. Could this be a de facto SoCon title game?
North Greenville at UNC Pembroke
Saturday, Oct. 3
Conference Carolinas restarted football last fall after more than 50 years. UNC Pembroke made the inaugural Conference Carolinas Bowl to play for the league championship but lost to North Greenville 34-20. After falling twice to North Greenville in Tigerville last season, the Braves will get the chance to host the Trailblazers this year.
Duke at Virginia
Friday, Oct. 23
Duke football hoisted its first ACC championship trophy in football in decades last December, beating favored Virginia in Charlotte. The ACC title game rematch will come in Charlottesville and on a Friday night, a sneaky good game in that time slot for ESPN. Will one or both of these teams be in the 2026 ACC title conversation when this contest arrives on the calendar?
North Carolina Central at South Carolina State
Saturday, Nov. 14
This NC vs. SC rivalry game has nearly a century’s worth of history. South Carolina State has enjoyed the upper-hand in recent meetings, beating the Eagles in 2024 and 2025 on their way to back-to-back conference championships. The MEAC doesn’t have a league title game but this one may be as close as we get on the next to last Saturday of the regular season.
Honorable Mention: Don’t Sleep on These 15 Matchups
Other games that garnered strong consideration for our 25 To Watch, organized alphabetically.
- Brevard at Guilford (Sept. 26) – Hard to believe but this will be the first ever football meeting between the two D3 teams.
- Brevard at NC Wesleyan (Nov. 14) – North Carolina D3 bragging rights could be at stake in this season finale.
- Clemson at Duke (Nov. 20) – Duke fans are still talking about the physical beat-down the Blue Devils put on Clemson at Wallace Wade in 2023. This will be the first meeting in Durham since then.
- Duke at Wake Forest (Nov. 28) – Both Big Four teams won nine games and were victorious in bowls in 2025. Love to see the Big Four mini-tournament at the end of the season.
- Elon at Rhode Island (Sept. 12) – The Phoenix visit a preseason top 10 conference foe looking to spring an upset.
- James Madison at App State (Oct. 22) – It didn’t take long for these two teams to develop a fierce rivalry in the Sun Belt East. This meeting will come on a (chilly?) Thursday night in Boone. Chef’s kiss. Made for TV.
- Johnson C. Smith at Winston-Salem State (Sept. 12) – Big home test for first-year Rams coach Tory Woodbury, welcoming the CIAA champs into Bowman Gray.
- Lenoir-Rhyne at Catawba (Nov. 14) – Long-time SAC rivals clash on the final Saturday of the D2 regular season. Could be a lot at stake for both teams.
- Mars Hill at Winston-Salem State (Sept. 5) – Rematch of an intriguing crossover game between CIAA and South Atlantic opponents.
- North Carolina Central at Gardner-Webb (Sept. 19) – The home opener for the Runnin’ Bulldogs and new coach Kris McCullough brings North Carolina’s most consistent FCS winner of the 2020s to Boiling Springs.
- Shenandoah at Methodist (Sept. 4) – More Friday night college football, this time D3 style over Labor Day weekend.
- Valdosta State at UNC Pembroke (Sept. 19) – The Braves stunned the D2 powerhouse program last season, shutting them out 31-0. Valdosta could be on revenge watch
- Western Carolina at Campbell (Sept. 5) – Home opener for the Camels, rematch of a high-scoring game in 2025.
- Western Carolina at Mercer (Oct. 10) – A reprise of one of the most thrilling games from 2025, won by Mercer 49-47 when WCU missed a field goal in the final seconds.
- Wingate at Catawba (Oct. 3) – Catawba is relevant again in football, but the Indians haven’t beaten the Bulldogs on the gridiron since 2016.
👉 Want to check out all 301 games on the docket for 2026? Our 2026 North Carolina College Football Master Schedule has everything organized by week.
👉 Bookmark our Game Day Central page, which will bring you up to speed on the statewide college football scene every week during the 2026 season.