Western Carolina and North Carolina Central, two of the top FCS programs in our state, have set a home-and-home football series for 2027 and 2028, FBSchedules.com has reported.
The first game will be played Saturday, Sept. 25, 2027 in Durham at NCCU’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. The return game will come Saturday, Oct. 7, 2028 at Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee.
Amazingly, the two schools have never played each other. North Carolina Central plays in the MEAC, while WCU is a member of the Southern Conference. Both teams have been picked to finish among the leaders in their respective conferences this season.
NCCU will play North Carolina A&T every year in non-conference action through 2030. The Eagles also will play East Carolina in 2026 and Florida A&M in 2027.
Western Carolina did not play an in-state non-conference opponent in 2023 and does not have a North Carolina partner in the SoCon. But the Catamounts have been loading up on North Carolina non-conference foes in recent years – adding Campbell to the 2026 and 2027 slates, East Carolina to the 2027 schedule and the renewal of a popular series with Appalachian State in Boone in 2028.
WCU will play Gardner-Webb, Campbell and Elon this season, in addition to a showdown at Wake Forest from the ACC. Last season, the Catamounts played at NC State and Elon, and hosted Campbell.
Check out North Carolina Central’s full 2025 football schedule HERE and Western Carolina’s full 2025 football schedule HERE.
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