Thirty-four North Carolina college football teams set off on a journey in late August and early September. The last one crossed the finish line Thursday night.
With Duke’s loss to Ole Miss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, the 2024 college football season is now complete in the Old North State. Our 2024 Statewide Standings – the complete list of win-loss records for all 34 schools – is now set in stone.
Here are the final standings (sorted by winning percentage), followed by notes and observations:
Lenoir-Rhyne (10-3) had the most wins of any team in the state. The Bears, who compete at the Division II level, were the only school to reach 10 victories this fall. A come-from-behind road playoff victory over West Alabama in November provided the final mark in the ‘W’ column.
Wingate (9-2) led the state in best winning percentage (.818). The Bulldogs captured the D2 South Atlantic Conference title (knocking off Lenoir-Rhyne along the way). Wingate was the school North Carolina school to claim a conference championship in 2024. There were multiple teams who almost got there, like Johnson C. Smith, North Carolina Central, Johnson C. Smith and Brevard.
Duke (9-4) joined Wingate in the nine-win club. The Blue Devils can rightfully be called “State Champs” in Division I, knocking off NC State, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Elon on their way to the best record in FBS.
Louisburg (8-3) played in a national junior college championship game in early December. East Carolina (8-5) and North Carolina Central (8-3) joined the Hurricanes and Johnson C. Smith in the eight-win club.
A total of 15 out of 34 North Carolina college football teams compiled winning records on the year. One other team had a .500 mark.
Wingate and Johnson C. Smith (8-2) had the fewest losses.
Only one team, St. Andrews (NAIA), failed to win a game this season. North Carolina A&T (FCS), Greensboro (D3) and Methodist (D3) managed just one win apiece.
Division II has the most teams (13) of any division in the state. Division II also had the best combined winning percentage this season (.541). Six D2 programs – Wingate, Lenoir-Rhyne, Johnson C. Smith, Winston-Salem State, Livingstone and Shaw – each won at least 60 percent of their games.
The combined win-loss records of all 34 teams was 174-199 (.467).
Twelve teams head into the off-season on a winning note. Elon and UNC Pembroke boast four-game win streaks. Charlotte, North Carolina Central, Shaw and Western Carolina closed their seasons with a pair of victories. Brevard, Catawba, East Carolina, Elizabeth City State, Livingstone and Winston-Salem State each won their finales.
NC College Football | Longest Active Winning Streaks
| TEAM | DIV | WINS |
| Elon | FCS | 4 |
| UNC Pembroke | D2 | 4 |
| Charlotte | FBS | 2 |
| NC Central | FCS | 2 |
| Shaw | D2 | 2 |
| Western Carolina | FCS | 2 |
Seven North Carolina college football teams earned postseason trips. East Carolina beat NC State in the Military Bowl on Dec. 28. North Carolina lost to UConn in the Fenway Bowl and as mentioned above Duke lost to Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl.
Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne earned D2 playoff berths. Louisburg played in the Division III JUCO finale against College of DuPage.
Eleven North Carolina schools will head into 2025 intent of shaking off losing streaks. St. Andrews, alas, has the longest at 23. North Carolina A&T has dropped its past 10 games. Guilford and Methodist have lost seven in a row, while fellow D3 member Greensboro has suffered defeat in its last six outings.
Campbell and Wake Forest finished 2024 on four-game skids, with UNC falling in its final three contests.
NC College Football | Longest Active Losing Streaks
| TEAM | DIV | LOSS |
| St. Andrews | NAIA | 23 |
| NC A&T | FCS | 10 |
| Guilford | D3 | 7 |
| Methodist | D3 | 7 |
| Greensboro | D3 | 6 |
| Campbell | FCS | 4 |
| Wake Forest | FBS | 4 |
| North Carolina | FBS | 3 |
| Barton | D2 | 2 |
| Gardner-Webb | FCS | 2 |
| Johnson C Smith | D2 | 2 |
