What to watch for: Epic CIAA showdowns, ECU-Charlotte, No fans at WCU

October is here, and most college football teams in the Old North State have turned their attention to the conference portion of their schedules.

Here are storylines to watch today (and Sunday) as 32 collegiate teams from North Carolina see action

CIAA Schedule Has Playoff Feel

Johnson C. Smith (2-0), Winston-Salem State (2-0), Virginia Union (1-0) and Virginia State (1-0) comprise the top of the league standings so far in this storied D2 conference. These four will play the second leg of a round-robin today, with JCSU hosting Virginia State and WSSU traveling to Virginia Union.

These are pivotal match-ups considering the way the CIAA is handling its standings situation. With the absence of St. Augustine’s creating unbalanced schedules, the league will only count a school’s final seven games toward the official standings.

Johnson C. Smith’s victory over Virginia Union a few weeks ago, for example, counts as a “W” for the Golden Bulls but not as an “L” for the Panthers since that was the first of eight CIAA contests for VUU. The same goes for Winston-Salem State’s triumph over Virginia State — a “W” for the Rams but no conference “L” for the Trojans.

Today’s action will start to create separation for the front-runners. Johnson C. Smith comes into the contest with its best record (5-0) since 1969 and its first-ever national ranking. In what feels like a playoff elimination game, Fayetteville State will host to Bowie State, while Shaw will host Bluefield State.

49ers-Pirates: The Hot Seat Bowl?

Charlotte and East Carolina will meet on the football field for only the second time — the first on the Niners’ home turf. Charlotte won last year’s battle 10-7 in Greenville. Both coaches have had hot seat moments this season, and the victorious team should see things simmer, at least for a bit.

This rivalry is new but already has been embraced by fans on both sides. Charlotte’s Richardson Stadium is sold out.

“Both schools want to make it a rivalry in football, which makes a lot of sense because we’re in the same state and conference,” Charlotte coach Biff Poggi said earlier this week, as quoted by The Charlotte Observer. “But I didn’t know the feelings were anywhere as near as strong as they are on both sides. It’s pretty intense.”

Catamount Quiet

While Charlotte will be sold out and raucous, Western Carolina’s Whitmire Stadium will be empty of fans. Due to the ongoing emergency situation in Cullowhee and the surrounding county due to hurricane relief and rescue efforts, WCU has opted to stage the contest without spectators. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m.

Both schools have had grueling early season schedules. The Catamounts (1-3) lost to NC State and nationally ranked Montana. Wofford (2-2) beat No. 14 Richmond and edged Gardner-Webb, before falling to No. 13 William & Mary and red-hot Mercer.

Western Carolina still has conference title aspirations — and still has one of the top quarterbacks in FCS in Cole Gonzales. But a setback today likely extends a four-decades long conference title drought for at least another year. Fans could make a difference.

Undefeated Records On The Line

Four teams remain undefeated heading into the October slate: Johnson C. Smith (5-0), Duke (5-0), Lenoir-Rhyne (4-0) and Guilford (3-0).

All four teams face tough tasks today, and only JCSU will be at home (see CIAA note above). Duke travels to Georgia Tech under the lights on ACC Network. Guilford begins conference play at Hampden-Sydney, while Lenoir-Rhyne goes on the road to Emory & Henry, facing the Wasps for the first time in 67 years.

How many undefeated teams will survive the weekend?

Looking For The First ‘W’

Four teams are unbeaten and four are still chasing their first victory of 2024. Three winless teams will play today (with St. Andrews having the day off).

North Carolina Wesleyan has put up impressive stats at times season but a victory has proven elusive. The Battling Bishops (0-4) will try to extinguish their winless start at home against Methodist at 6 p.m. The Monarchs are 1-3, with their only win coming against Greensboro.

UNC Pembroke had high hopes for a conference title run in the Mountain East but has stumbled to an 0-4 start (0-2 in the league). The Braves will visit Wheeling University (2-2) to try and salvage a promising season that is slipping away. UNCP beat Wheeling 41-20 a year ago.

Mars Hill has played only twice so far (losing both) due to scheduling quirks and the hurricane canceling its game with Wingate last weekend. The Lions travel to Newberry (1-2) in a rematch of the 2022 South Atlantic championship game.

Eagles, Camels Run It Back

North Carolina Central and Campbell played one of the most exciting FCS games in our state a year ago in Durham. The Eagles prevailed 49-48 in overtime in a duel of high-octane quarterbacks (NCCU’s Davius Richard and Campbell’s Hajj-Malik Williams).

Richard threw for 265 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 86 yards and four more scores. Williams accounted for five passing touchdowns and 302 yards through the air.

New signal callers will be at helm today, with Walker Harris taking over NC Central and the duo of Chad Mascoe and Mike Chandler II splitting duties the past few weeks for the Camels.

Pack, Heels Kicking Off At High Noon (Just Not Vs. Each Other)

For the third time this season, NC State and North Carolina will play football games during the same time window. The Pack will host Wake Forest, while UNC will host Pitt at noon.

NC State will kick off at 12 p.m. for the fourth week in a row. It will be the second time in two weeks the Wolfpack has been on The CW. While not as glamorous as ESPN or ABC, NC State is 5-0 in football games broadcast on The CW.

Sunday Afternoon Clash

Catawba originally was scheduled to play at Anderson (SC) on Saturday. The game has been moved days and locations. The Indians now will host the contest on Sunday at 2 p.m. This will be the second week in a row and the third this season with North Carolina teams playing on a Sunday.

The Full Week 6 Schedule