ESPN, Fox and CBS Sports announced their 2026 college football TV schedules on Wednesday, bringing into sharper focus early-season and non-Saturday kickoff times and viewing options for North Carolina’s FBS teams.
ESPN unveiled an initial schedule for nearly 300 games set to be broadcast on its networks – ESPN, ABC, ACC Network, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ and SEC Network. Only a handful of games involving North Carolina teams will be played on Fox or CBS platforms.
North Carolina will be one of the first teams in the country to hit the ESPN airwaves, playing TCU in Ireland on Saturday, Aug. 29. The contest is slated for noon kickoff on ESPN. The NC State-Virginia game will follow from Brazil at 3:30 p.m., also on ESPN.
What does it mean?
The early TV announcements give fans a clearer picture of the first month of the season, especially for travel planning and non-Saturday games.
North Carolina and NC State will open with rare international showcases in Week 0, ECU gets a national ABC window at Alabama in Week 1, and every North Carolina team plays at least one non-Saturday contest except UNC.
Here’s a look at the known early-season TV assignments and kickoff times for North Carolina teams, organized by school.
North Carolina FBS Teams
Appalachian State football TV schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 5 – Maine at App State, 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
- Saturday, Sept. 12 – App State at ECU, 12 p.m., ESPNU
- Saturday, Sept. 19 – Charlotte at App State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
- Friday, Oct. 16 – App State at Coastal Carolina, 8 p.m., ESPN2
- Thursday, Oct. 22 – James Madison at App State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
- Friday, Nov. 27 – App State at South Alabama, 3 p.m., ESPN+
Charlotte football TV schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 5 – The Citadel at Charlotte, 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
- Saturday, Sept. 12 – Charlotte at Ole Miss, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network or ESPN2
- Saturday, Sept. 19 – Charlotte at App State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
- Friday, Oct. 30 – Tulane at Charlotte, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Duke football TV schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 5 – Tulane at Duke, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, Sept. 12 – Duke at Illinois, 3:30 p.m., FS1
- Saturday, Sept. 19 – Stanford at Duke, 4 p.m., The CW
- Saturday, Sept. 26 – William & Mary at Duke, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network Extra
- Friday, Oct. 23 – Duke at Virginia, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Friday, Oct. 30 – Clemson at Duke, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
East Carolina football TV schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 5 – East Carolina at Alabama, 12 p.m., ABC
- Saturday, Sept. 12 – App State at East Carolina, 12 p.m., ESPNU
- Saturday, Sept. 19 – East Carolina at Old Dominion, 6 p.m., ESPN+
- Saturday, Sept. 26 – North Carolina Central at East Carolina, 4 p.m., ESPN+
- Thursday, Oct. 15 – East Carolina at UAB, 7:30 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
- Thursday, Oct. 22 – East Carolina at Memphis, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
- Friday, Nov. 6 – South Florida at East Carolina, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
- Friday, Nov. 27 OR Saturday, Nov. 28 – Florida Atlantic at East Carolina, TBD, ESPN
NC State football TV schedule
- Saturday, Aug. 29 – NC State vs. Virginia (Brazil), 3:30 p.m., ESPN
- Friday, Sept. 11 – Richmond at NC State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
- Saturday, Sept. 19 – NC State at Vanderbilt, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network
- Friday, Oct. 23 – NC State at Stanford, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
North Carolina football TV schedule
- Saturday, Aug. 29 – North Carolina vs. TCU (Ireland), 12 p.m., ESPN
- Saturday, Sept. 12 – ETSU at North Carolina, 12 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, Sept. 19 – North Carolina at Clemson, 12 p.m., ESPN
- Saturday, Nov. 7 – North Carolina at Connecticut, 12 p.m., CBS Sports
Wake Forest football TV schedule
- Thursday, Sept. 3 – Akron at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, Sept. 12 – Wake Forest at Purdue, 12 p.m., FS1
- Friday, Sept. 18 – Miami at Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
ACC Championship Game
- Saturday, Dec. 5 – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC, 12 p.m., ABC
American Championship Game
- Saturday, Dec. 5 – Campus site, 8 p.m., ABC
Sun Belt Championship Game
- Friday, Dec. 4 – Campus site, 7 p.m., ESPN
FCS: Campbell football TV schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 12 – Campbell at Florida, 5:30 p.m., SEC Network+
FCS: Gardner-Webb football TV schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 12 – Gardner-Webb at Liberty, 6 p.m., ESPN+
- Saturday, Sept. 26 – Gardner-Webb at Marshall, 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
FCS: North Carolina A&T football TV schedule
- Friday, Sept. 4 – North Carolina A&T at Georgia State, 7 p.m., ESPN+
- NOTE: A&T home game and conference games air on FloSports
FCS: North Carolina Central football TV schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 26 – North Carolina Central at ECU, 4 p.m., ESPN+
- NOTE: NCCU home games typically air on ESPN+
FCS: Western Carolina football TV schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 12 – Western Carolina at Cincinnati, 7 p.m., ESPN+
- NOTE: WCU home and Southern Conference games typically air on ESPN+
Looking for more North Carolina college football schedules?
🏫 Team Schedules Hub – Browse full-season schedules by school
🗓️ Weekly Master Schedule – View all 2026 games organized by week
