The Fourth of July holiday has passed, and that means the countdown to college football can begin in earnest (yes!).
Conference media days will start for North Carolina schools next week, and preseason camps won’t be that far behind.
As of today, Friday, July 7, we’re 50 days away from the first North Carolina college team kicking off. That team would be St. Andrews from Laurinburg. The Knights, which compete at the NAIA level, are set to host Webber International in “Week 0” of the season – Saturday, Aug. 26.
The Knights have had a busy off-season, building their program under second-year coach Robert Curtin.
St. Andrews will battle one of the toughest schedules in NAIA this season, facing Lindsey Wilson, Bethel and Reinhardt – all ranked in The CFB Network’s NAIA preseason top-10. Also on the slate are No. 25 Bluefield and Davidson from the FCS ranks.
The rest of the state’s teams will launch their seasons the following week. Ten schools will play Thursday, Aug. 31, with three in-state showdowns in the mix: Elon at Wake Forest, Chowan at Barton and Fayetteville State at UNC Pembroke. Also on the docket for Aug. 31: NC State visits Connecticut, Campbell hosts William & Mary, NC A&T goes to UAB and Wingate entertains Albany State.
Here is a complete schedule for Weeks 0 and 1 of the college football season (dates/times subject to change). Be sure to bookmark our site and follow us on Twitter (@NCFootballNews) for the latest coverage of North Carolina’s college teams.
| Saturday, August 26 | |
| Webber at St. Andrews | Noon |
| Thursday, August 31 | |
| NC State at Connecticut | 7:30 p.m. |
| Elon at Wake Forest | 7 p.m. |
| William & Mary at Campbell | 7 p.m. |
| NC A&T at UAB | 8 p.m. |
| Chowan at Barton | 6 p.m. |
| Fayetteville State at UNC Pembroke | 6 p.m. |
| Albany State at Wingate | 6 p.m. |
| Saturday, September 2 | |
| Gardner-Webb at Appalachian State | 3:30 p.m. |
| South Carolina State at Charlotte | 6 p.m. |
| East Carolina at Michigan | Noon |
| South Carolina vs. North Carolina# | 7:30 p.m. |
| Davidson at VMI | TBA |
| Winston-Salem State at NC Central | TBA |
| Western Carolina at Arkansas | 4 p.m. |
| Catawba at Elizabeth City State | 1 p.m. |
| Johnson C. Smith at West Virginia Wesleyan | 1 p.m. |
| St. Augustine’s at Lenoir-Rhyne | TBA |
| Bluefield State at Livingstone | TBA |
| Shaw at Benedict College | 6 p.m. |
| Warner at Brevard | 1 p.m. |
| Greensboro at Guilford | TBA |
| Methodist at Shenandoah | 1 p.m. |
| Randolph-Macon at NC Wesleyan | Noon |
| Lindsey Wilson at St. Andrews | Noon |
| # Duke’s Mayo Kickoff Classic, Charlotte | |
| Monday, September 4 | |
| Clemson at Duke | 8 p.m. |
