The Bill Belichick era at North Carolina will kick off with a Monday showdown in primetime, while NC State will renew its contentious series – do we call it a rivalry? – with East Carolina on the Thursday before.
The ACC just released its full Labor Day weekend season’s opening schedule, and the league has placed our state’s “Big Four” schools across four different days.
After meeting in the Military Bowl in late December, the Wolfpack and Pirates will square off again at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Thursday, Aug. 28.
Wake Forest will begin the Jake Dickert coaching era the following evening at home against Kennesaw State.
Duke will host Elon on Saturday, Aug. 30 – a rematch of last season’s opener for both schools – while North Carolina’s opener against TCU in Chapel Hill will be ESPN’s sole Labor Day Monday game, starting at 7:30 p.m.
UNC, Belichick Will Have Nation’s Attention For Opener
Belichick, who coached the New England Patriots from 2000-2023, will be plenty familiar with playing on a Monday night. The Patriots appeared on Monday Night Football 33 times during his tenure, winning 22 of those games.
North Carolina football fans will be much less familiar with having the national spotlight all to themselves. Duke had that limelight in 2023, and the Blue Devils’ upset of Clemson on Labor Day Monday drew more than 4 million viewers.
The hiring of Belichick signals UNC’s quest to play among elite brands of college football. TCU has tasted where the Tar Heels want to go, making the College Football Playoff during the 2022 season, albeit suffering an embarrassing loss to Georgia in the title game.
The much anticipated contest against the Horned Frogs will be the fourth-all time meeting with TCU. The other three came in 1940, 1994 and 1997.
North Carolina’s last football game on a Monday came against Missouri in the 2011 Independence Bowl. UNC has been in four bowls that have been played on Mondays – the 2001 Peach, 1981 Gator and 1977 Liberty.
UNC has not opened the season at home on a Monday since 1941, per the school’s sports information department.
NC State Football Looking To Avenge Bowl Loss To ECU
When we last saw NC State and East Carolina on a football field, a brawl had ensued at the end of the Pirates’ 26-21 triumph, leaving one referee bloodied. The defeat snapped a three-game win streak over ECU and left the Pack with a losing record overall for the season (6-7).
NC State and East Carolina have met 33 times on the gridiron since 1970. The schools have played in Raleigh, Greenville, Charlotte, Atlanta and, after the most recent bowl game, in Baltimore. The 2025 season opener will mark the first time the two schools have met on a Thursday night.
NC State is 16-7 against ECU at home. This will mark the third-straight year NCSU has begun the season with a Thursday opener.
Wake Forest To Play Under Friday Night Lights
Except for the COVID season in 2020, the Demon Deacons have opened every year since 2013 with a Thursday or Friday game. The Deacs have hosted in-state FCS opponents the past two seasons but will begin with an FBS foe in 2025.
Kennesaw State just moved up to Conference USA in 2024, becoming the 134th FBS team. The Owls finished 2-10 in their FBS debut after posting a 3-6 mark in their final FCS campaign.
The first-ever meeting between Wake and the Georgia school will mark the debut of the Jake Dickert coaching era. The former Washington State coach took the reins after Dave Clawson resigned at the end of the 2024 season.
Dickert, 41, went 23-20 in four seasons at Washington State.
Duke To Run It Back Vs Elon
The Blue Devils will be the only Big Four school to open the season with a Saturday game. Last season, none of the four played on the Saturday or Labor Day weekend. Duke occupied the ACC’s Friday night slot a year ago, defeating Elon 26-3.
The Devils likely will have higher expectations heading into 2025, following a surprising nine-win campaign in coach Manny Diaz’s debut. Elon went 6-6 in 2024, winning its final four contests.
ACC Week 1 Schedule 2025: Five Days Of Games
The conference will unveil the full season schedule on Monday with a special two-hour release show from 9-11 p.m. on ACC Network.
The ACC announced its week zero and week one match-ups Thursday. Labor Day weekend will feature five straight days of ACC action, starting with the NC State-ECU game and concluding with UNC-TCU. The ACC has had teams play on Labor Day Monday 19 times since the 2005 season. Florida State lost to Boston College in last season’s Monday showcase.
Miami and Virginia Tech both will play on Sunday. The Hurricanes will host Notre Dame, while the Hokies will face off against Florida in Atlanta.
Once again, the ACC will play without divisions in 2025. The league will feature 17 schools for the second year in a row, including newcomers SMU, Cal and Stanford. Every team will play eight conference games. The ACC title game will be held in December at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
To read the ACC’s full release on opening weekend, visit the ACC’s official website.