UNC to face Duke, State, UVa each year in football, play first California league game in 2025

By R.L. Bynum

Under the ACC’s new football scheduling model with 17 schools beginning next season, UNC will meet every conference school twice every seven years, with its first West Coast league matchup in 2025 against California.

The Tar Heels will play at Stanford in 2027, at SMU in 2028 and go to Cal again in 2030, according to the schedules through 2030 that the league announced Monday. Under the model, UNC won’t have to play an ACC in California in back-to-back seasons.

Carolina has only played once each at Cal and Stanford, losing both games. The Tar Heels lost to the Cardinal 37–34 in 1998 and to the Bears 24–17 in 2018. UNC won its only game at SMU, 28–24, in 1994.

Sixteen matchups, including the Tar Heels’ games with Duke, N.C. State and Virginia, will be played annually under the model, which includes no divisions. UNC will face in-state ACC rival Wake Forest at home in 2024 and 2028 and on the road in 2025 and 2027.

The ACC revealed the eight-game league schedules for the next seven years, which can be accessed here (see graphics below the story).

UNC will have the second-fewest miles of travel for league road games in 2024 with 1,257.21 miles, according to calculations by David Cunningham of Tech Sideline, with Clemson only traveling 1,129.87 miles. He says that the Tar Heels will have the least amount of travel in the 2026 season.

The Tar Heels’ scheduled ACC opponents:

— In 2024, home games against Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest, and road games vs. Boston College, Duke, Florida State and Virginia

— In 2025, home games against Clemson, Duke, Stanford and Virginia, and road games against Cal, N.C. State, Syracuse and Wake Forest

— In 2026, home games vs. Louisville, Miami, N.C. State and Syracuse, with road games against Clemson, Duke, Pittsburgh and Virginia

— In 2027, home games against Duke, Florida State, Virginia and Virginia Tech, with road matchups against Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Stanford and Wake Forest

— In 2028, home games against Boston College, N.C. State, Stanford (first meeting at Kenan Stadium since UNC’s 27–17 victory in 1997) and Wake Forest, with road games against Duke, Florida State, SMU and Virginia

— In 2029, home games against Cal (first meeting in Kenan Stadium since the Bears’ 35–30 win in 2017), Clemson, Duke and Virginia, and road contests with Louisville, Miami, N.C. State and Virginia Tech

— In 2030, home games against Miami, N.C. State, SMU (first meeting in Kenan Stadium since UNC’s 19–10 win in 2001) and Virginia Tech, with road games against Cal, Clemson, Duke and Virginia

Other protected matchups will be Boston College-Syracuse, Boston College-Pitt, Syracuse-Pitt, N.C. State-Wake Forest, N.C. State-Duke, Duke-Wake Forest, Virginia Tech-Virginia, Florida State-Clemson, Miami-Florida State, Miami-Virginia Tech, Stanford-Cal, Stanford-SMU and Cal-SMU.

Photo by Zetong Li; graphics courtesy of the ACC