The North Carolina college football schedule for Halloween weekend brings a scary good number of compelling storylines – from UNC hosting the nation’s top-ranked team to Wake Forest looking to maintain its Top 15 momentum to App State’s latest installment in the Deeper Than Hate rivalry.
NC State plays its first game since moving on from Dave Doeren. Campbell will look to build on what is already the best season in program history, while Elon and North Carolina A&T meet in a homecoming showdown in Greensboro.
Meanwhile, the CIAA and South Atlantic Conference championship races are heating up at the Division II level as the calendar turns toward November.
There are 29 college games total on the docket this weekend featuring a North Carolina team – one on Friday night featuring the Charlotte 49ers and 28 on Saturday. Here’s the layout, including kickoff times and TV/streaming information. Scroll below the schedule list to see what we’re watching in Week 9.
🏈 David Glenn Talks NC College Football All Week Long
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🚨🏈NC State FB—Past, Doeren & Future🏈🚨 ✔️ fair look at Dave Doeren’s 14-year tenure ✔️ where DD ranks among Wolfpack’s 12 #ACC leaders ✔️ how the State job compares to other openings ✔️ THREE most likely paths forward ✔ likely/unlikely candidates https://t.co/pk25Ad5SwH https://t.co/dgMvwUznMY
— David Glenn Show (@DavidGlennShow) October 25, 2026
🏈 North Carolina College Football Schedule: Week 9 Games
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026
7:00 p.m. ET – Tulane at Charlotte, ESPN2
🎃 Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 👻
12:00 p.m. ET – Boston College at Duke, The CW
12:00 p.m. ET – California at NC State, ACC Network
12:00 p.m. ET – Campbell at UAlbany, FloSports
1:00 p.m. ET – Barton at Shorter, CCDN
1:00 p.m. ET – Belhaven at Methodist, FloCollege
1:00 p.m. ET – Bowie State at Fayetteville State, CIAA-SN
1:00 p.m. ET – Bluefield State at Shaw, CIAA-SN
1:00 p.m. ET – Carson-Newman at Catawba, FloFootball
1:00 p.m. ET – Elon at NC A&T, FloSports
1:00 p.m. ET – Lenoir-Rhyne at Emory & Henry, FloFootball
1:00 p.m. ET – NC Wesleyan at Southern Virginia, FloCollege
1:00 p.m. ET – Virginia State at Johnson C. Smith, CIAA-SN
1:00 p.m. ET – Winston-Salem State at Elizabeth City State, CIAA-SN
2:00 p.m. ET – Chowan at Ferrum, CCDN
2:00 p.m. ET – Davidson at St. Thomas, MidCoSports+
2:00 p.m. ET – Gardner-Webb at Southeast Missouri State, ESPN+
2:00 p.m. ET – Howard at NC Central, ESPN+
2:00 p.m. ET – Mars Hill at UVA Wise, FloFootball
2:00 p.m. ET – Nassau CC at Louisburg, TV/streaming TBA
2:00 p.m. ET – Virginia University of Lynchburg at Livingstone, CIAA-SN
2:00 p.m. ET – Western Carolina at Furman, ESPN+
3:00 p.m. ET – Anderson at Wingate, FloFootball
3:00 p.m. ET – Temple at East Carolina, ESPN+
3:45 p.m. ET – Virginia at Wake Forest, ESPN2
4:00 p.m. ET – Washington and Lee at Guilford, FloCollege
6:30 p.m. ET – App State at Georgia Southern, ESPN+
7:00 p.m. ET – Greensboro at Brevard, FloCollege
7:30 p.m. ET – Miami at North Carolina, ABC
What We’re Watching In Week 9 (Oct. 30-31)
Can No. 15 Wake Forest keep its momentum?
Wake Forest returns from its bye week riding a wave of momentum and carrying a strong national ranking into the final stretch of the regular season.
The Demon Deacons have climbed into the Top 15 as ranked teams around the country continue to stumble. Wake has managed to avoid those pitfalls so far, but Virginia represents another significant test in the ACC race.
With November approaching, every victory becomes increasingly important for a Wake Forest program trying to turn an impressive season into something even more memorable. Can the Deacs get to Charlotte? Into the College Football Playoff field?
NC State begins a new chapter
NC State returns home for its first game since the dismissal of longtime head coach Dave Doeren.
The Wolfpack will face California with the program entering a period of transition and questions surrounding its future leadership. Todd Goebbel is the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Defensive coordinator DJ Eliot also was dismissed.
How NC State responds on the field — and how the team approaches the remainder of the season — will be worth watching as the school begins its search for a new head coach.
UNC faces another major test against Miami
North Carolina will try to regroup after a heartbreaking 31-30 overtime loss to Syracuse, a game the Tar Heels appeared to have in hand before the Orange rallied.
The challenge doesn’t get any easier with top-ranked Miami coming to Chapel Hill for a nationally televised ACC matchup. The Hurricanes are the ACC’s lone unbeaten team.
Can Bill Belichick cook up anything to slow down the ‘Canes and Heisman contending quarterback Darian Mensah? That matchup will be one of the storylines to watch across all of college football this weekend.
App State renews a rivalry that’s ‘Deeper Than Hate’
Few rivalries deep south college football carry the intensity of Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, a series appropriately known as Deeper Than Hate and that dates back decades.
The Mountaineers enter this year’s matchup with renewed confidence following dramatic victories over Coastal Carolina and previously unbeaten James Madison. But Georgia Southern has gotten the better of App State in recent meetings, including a regular-season victory and another win in the Birmingham Bowl last December.
The programs share a remarkable history, having developed into national powers at the FCS level before making the transition to the Sun Belt together in 2014.
Now App State heads to Statesboro looking to extend its recent resurgence and reverse its fortunes against an old rival.
Campbell looks to build on a historic season
Campbell has already accomplished something unprecedented in program history, winning seven games in a season for the first time. The team is getting national attention and hovers around Top 10 consideration.
The Camels (7-1, 4-0 CAA) are coming off a dominant 35-6 victory over Maine, but Saturday’s trip to UAlbany presents a potentially dangerous challenge.
The Great Danes have recently posted road victories over Rhode Island and Stony Brook, demonstrating that they can win difficult conference matchups away from home.
With the CAA championship race and potential FCS postseason opportunities looming, Campbell has plenty to play for as it pursues an eighth victory.
Elon visits NC A&T for homecoming
An in-state CAA matchup adds extra intrigue to North Carolina A&T’s homecoming celebration.
The Aggies have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks and will look to continue that progress against an Elon program eager to claim another conference victory.
Beyond the standings, this matchup brings together two North Carolina programs with plenty of familiarity and regional bragging rights at stake.
CIAA championship race reaches a critical weekend
The CIAA championship picture became considerably more interesting after Bowie State stunned Johnson C. Smith 16-13 last weekend.
Virginia Union and Virginia State remain unbeaten in conference play, while Johnson C. Smith, Fayetteville State and Bowie State are among the teams trying to shake up the standings.
Two particularly important games take place Saturday. Johnson C. Smith will try to rebound against Virginia State, while Fayetteville State hosts the Bowie State team that just knocked off the Golden Bulls.
With the CIAA’s championship weekend featuring matchups between the top two teams and the third- and fourth-place finishers, the race for positioning is becoming increasingly important. How many North Carolina teams can make it to Durham for championship weekend?
Mars Hill tries to regain its footing in SAC race
Consecutive losses have complicated Mars Hill’s postseason ambitions, but the Lions remain in the South Atlantic Conference championship conversation and in the hunt for an NCAA Division II playoff berth.
Saturday’s road trip to UVA Wise offers an opportunity to get back on track.
Elsewhere in the SAC, Carson-Newman visits Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Emory & Henry and Anderson faces Wingate in another busy weekend of conference action.
More games worth watching
Temple at East Carolina: ECU returns home looking to bounce back from another frustrating overtime defeat, this time a 41-34 setback at Memphis.
Boston College at Duke: The Blue Devils keep finding ways to win and return home after an important road victory over Virginia. But BC is one of those teams that seem to befuddle opponents just when you want to overlook them.
Greensboro at Brevard: Our latest in-state Division III round-robin highlights the USA South schedule as North Carolina’s smaller college programs continue their conference campaigns. Brevard is looking to get back on track after back-to-back losses knocked them off the top of the standings.
Howard at North Carolina Central: The Eagles are under .500 overall but 1-0 in the most important column – the MEAC standings. NCCU’s quest for a conference title and Celebration Bowl berth is still very much alive.
Western Carolina at Furman: The 2026 season has been mostly a disappointment for the Catamounts, but Saturday presents a chance to knock off a SoCon rival on the road.
🐺 Dave Doeren is out. Who’s next at NC State—and what will it take to win? Mike Waddell, Jim Collins & Nolan Jones break down the Wolfpack fallout, the Philip Rivers debate, and how coaching searches REALLY work—from agents and media leaks to donor pressure, NIL budgets, and finding the right fit. 🇬🇧 PLUS: London Guard head coach Andrew Weidinger joins THE COACHES ROOM to talk European pro football, recruiting Americans, and building a team overseas. Who should NC State hire? 👇 📺 WATCH: https://t.co/QcJmcHqoQv 🎧 LISTEN: https://t.co/RdMaNX7CUZ 📰 READ: https://t.co/UTPSVtEyld 📲 FOLLOW: @CollinsCoach @Nolan_Jones1010 #NCState #TheCoachesRoom #CollegeFootball #LondonGuard — NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS NETWORK (@TheNCSportsNet) October 26, 2026
