The 2026 season marches on, and we’ve already reached Week 4. There are 24 North Carolina college football games today, stretching across the FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and junior college levels.
Five unbeaten teams from across the Old North State will put perfect records on the line, while five more will try to get rid of the goose eggs in their win columns.
Unbeaten Mars Hill visits unbeaten Carson-Newman in a Division II showdown, North Carolina Central makes the short trip to Greenville to face East Carolina and Virginia Union visits Fayetteville State in an early CIAA test.
And then there’s the nightcap that needs little introduction.
Unbeaten Appalachian State heads to Raleigh for its first meeting with NC State since 2006, putting a bow on a Saturday full of North Carolina college football.
Here’s everything you need to follow the action today. Once games begin, visit the North Carolina College Football Scoreboard for the latest updates and final results.
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🏈 North Carolina College Football Games Today | Saturday, Sept. 26
JUMP TO: FCS | D2 | D3 | NJCAA
FBS Games Today
Wake Forest looks to put a scare in another nationally ranked foe. Duke hosts a former Southern Conference partner it hasn’t played since 1955. ECU and Charlotte play home games, while the App State-NCSU nightcap gives us an in-state rivalry showdown 20 years in the making.
Wake Forest at Louisville – 12 p.m., ESPN
Records: Wake Forest 2-1 | Louisville 2-1
Location: Louisville, KY
➡️ Game Center: Learn more about the Wake Forest-Louisville football game including series history, updated lines and what to know.
William & Mary at Duke – 3:30 p.m., ACCNX
Records: William & Mary 2-2 | Duke 3-0
Location: Durham, NC
➡️ Game Center: Learn more about the William & Mary at Duke football game including series history, updated lines and what to know.
North Carolina Central at East Carolina – 4 p.m., ESPN+
Records: NCCU 2-2 | East Carolina 1-2
Location: Greenville, NC
➡️ Game Center: Learn more about the NCCU at East Carolina football game including series history, updated lines and what to know.
Louisiana at Charlotte – 6:30 p.m., ESPN+
Records: Louisiana 2-1 | Charlotte 0-3
Location: Charlotte, NC
➡️ Game Center: Learn more about the Louisiana at Charlotte football game including series history, updated lines and what to know.
Appalachian State at NC State – 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
Records: App State 3-0 | NC State 1-2
Location: Raleigh, NC
➡️ Game Center: Learn more about the Appalachian State at NC State football game including series history, updated lines and what to know.
Grimsley’s DARRYL BROWN joins us to talk championship football this coming MONDAY on the next edition of THE COACHES ROOM #NCSN
— NCSN | NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS NETWORK (@TheNCSportsNet) September 25, 2026
🏆 3 state titles in 6 seasons
🔥 Back-to-back unbeaten championship seasons
💪 31-0 across 2024–25
Building champions. Sustaining excellence.
Only on… pic.twitter.com/jKulrOX6hC
FCS Games Today
Davidson and Elon host conference games today, while WCU kicks off SoCon action in Tennessee. Gardner-Webb and NCCU draw FBS opponents, with the Runnin’ Bulldogs playing their second FBS foe of the season. Campbell aims to prove worthy of its new Top 25 ranking at Hampton, while NC A&T welcomes the reigning CAA champs from Rhode Island.
Drake at Davidson – 1 p.m., ESPN+
Records: Drake 0-3 | Davidson 2-2
Location: Davidson, NC
Maine at Elon – 2 p.m., FloCollege
Records: Maine 1-3 | Elon 3-1
Location: Elon, NC
Gardner-Webb at Marshall – 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
Records: Gardner-Webb 1-3 | Marshall 2-1
Location: Huntington, WV
Western Carolina at ETSU – 3:30 p.m., ESPN+/Nexstar
Records: Western Carolina 2-2 | ETSU 2-2
Location: Johnson City, TN
North Carolina Central at East Carolina – 4 p.m., ESPN+
Records: NCCU 2-2 | East Carolina 1-2
Location: Greenville, NC
➡️ Game Center: Learn more about the NCCU at East Carolina football game including series history, updated lines and what to know.
Rhode Island at North Carolina A&T – 4 p.m., FloCollege
Records: Rhode Island 2-2 | North Carolina A&T 0-4
Location: Greensboro, NC
Campbell at Hampton – 6 p.m., FloCollege
Records: Campbell 3-1 | Hampton 1-3
Location: Hampton, VA
D2 Games Today
Unbeatens Mars Hill and Carson-Newman collide in the day’s biggest Division II matchup, while CIAA and South Atlantic teams continue conference play. Barton and UNC Pembroke host non-conference opponents making long trips from Alabama and New York.
Bowie State at Elizabeth City State – 1 p.m., CIAA Sports Network
Records: Bowie State 0-3 | ECSU 0-3
Location: Elizabeth City, NC
Livingstone at Shaw – 1 p.m., CIAA Sports Network
Records: Livingstone 2-2 | Shaw 3-1
Location: Durham, NC
Mars Hill at Carson-Newman – 1 p.m., FloCollege
Records: Mars Hill 3-0 | Carson-Newman 4-0
Location: Jefferson City, TN
Monroe at UNC Pembroke – 1 p.m., Conference Carolinas Digital Network
Records: Monroe 1-2 | UNC Pembroke 3-1
Location: Pembroke, NC
Virginia Union at Fayetteville State – 1 p.m., CIAA Sports Network
Records: Virginia Union 3-1 | Fayetteville State 2-2
Location: Fayetteville, NC
Winston-Salem State at Virginia State – 1 p.m., CIAA Sports Network
Records: WSSU 0-4 | Virginia State 3-1
Location: Ettrick, VA
Lenoir-Rhyne at Anderson – 2 p.m., FloCollege
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne 2-2 | Anderson 3-1
Location: Anderson, SC
West Alabama at Barton – 4 p.m., Conference Carolinas Digital Network
Records: West Alabama 3-1 | Barton 1-3
Location: Wilson, NC
Catawba at Tusculum – 6 p.m., FloCollege
Records: Catawba 2-2 | Tusculum 2-2
Location: Greeneville, TN
UVA Wise at Wingate – 6 p.m., FloCollege
Records: UVA Wise 0-4 | Wingate 1-3
Location: Wingate, NC
D3 Games Today
Brevard faces Guilford for the first time in football, while Methodist travels to Newport News, VA. North Carolina Wesleyan and Greensboro have the day off.
Methodist at The Apprentice School – 1 p.m., YouTube
Records: Methodist 0-2 | Apprentice 2-2
Location: Newport News, VA
Brevard at Guilford – 6 p.m., FloCollege
Records: Brevard 2-0 | Guilford 1-1
Location: Greensboro, NC
NJCAA Game Today
Our state’s lone junior college team is part of the noon window today.
Sussex Community College at Louisburg – 12 p.m., YouTube
Records: Sussex CC 0-2 | Louisburg 3-0
Location: Louisburg High School, Louisburg, NC
👀 What to Know
Five perfect records are at stake
App State (3-0), Duke (3-0), Mars Hill (3-0), Brevard (2-0) and Louisburg (3-0) all enter Saturday unbeaten. How many will survive the latest round of games unscathed?
App State-NC State is unquestionably the headliner
The last scheduled game to start looks to be the most intriguing, and storylines abound. How will NC State and quarterback CJ Bailey respond after last week’s heartbreaking loss at Vanderbilt? This might be coach Dave Doeren’s toughest test yet, as the loss to the Commodores drew national and local scorn.
App State is 3-0 for the first time since 2019, and that 2019 team won at UNC on its way to a 13-1 season (34-31). The Mountaineers haven’t played NC State since 2006, when the Wolfpack handed App its only loss during a 14-1 FCS national championship season.
App is also nationally strong in some interesting categories: No. 6 in completion percentage, No. 12 in third-down defense and tied for No. 5 with five interceptions.
Mars Hill-Carson-Newman looks to be the small-college game of the day
Both teams are still undefeated. Carson-Newman just rushed for 500 yards in a 42-7 win over UVA Wise. Mars Hill, meanwhile, held Lenoir-Rhyne to 16 net rushing yards, had seven sacks and won 15-7.
So this isn’t merely a “battle of unbeatens.” It’s almost comically perfect as a strength-on-strength matchup: Carson-Newman’s dominant rushing offense against a Mars Hill defense that nearly erased another team’s running game last week. C-N is averaging 333.8 rushing yards per game, while Mars Hill is allowing only 7.7 points per game. Both are also 2-0 in the SAC.
Duke aiming to build on seven-game win streak against FCS foe
William & Mary has forced 11 turnovers, second-most in the FCS, and has scored at least 20 points in 13 straight games. Duke, which hasn’t lost since last November, counters with a defense allowing 12.3 points and 79.3 rushing yards per game.
Blue Devil RB Nate Sheppard also enters leading the nation with 176 rushing yards per game and eight total touchdowns. One wonderfully weird historical nugget: William & Mary has dominated the all-time series with Duke, 6-1. But the teams haven’t played since 1955.
Five North Carolina teams still looking for first wins
Just as we have five undefeated teams in North Carolina, we also have five who have yet to taste victory in 2026. North Carolina A&T (0-4), Winston-Salem State (0-4), Charlotte (0-3), Elizabeth City State (0-3) and Methodist (0-2) all are in action today looking to erase goose eggs from their ledgers.
Charlotte has the state’s longest active losing streak dating back to last September – 12 games in a row. Methodist has lost nine in a row, and NC A&T eight.
News, Notes & Nuggets
- Wake Forest plays a nationally ranked opponent for the second week in a row, challenging No. 16/19 Louisville. Quarterback Gio Lopez looks ready to go after injury questions earlier in the week.
- With four teams qualifying for CIAA championship weekend (title game plus a third-place game), Virginia Union at Fayetteville State will be one to watch for positioning in the standings.
