By R.L. Bynum
With a new quarterback and a new defensive coordinator, North Carolina will have four non-conference games to settle in next season before getting into league play with a game at Duke in the new 17-team ACC as the league announced the schedule Wednesday.
Former Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins will try to fix the defense as the coordinator and the Tar Heels move on without quarterback Drake Maye, likely handing the job to Max Johnson (top photo), who transferred from Texas A&M, as UNC tries to rebound from an 8–5 finish.
After the Tar Heels open the season on Thursday, Aug. 29, at Minnesota (6–7 last season), they play three consecutive home games, beginning with meeting two in-state schools for the first time. UNC faces Charlotte (3–9) on Sept. 7 and reigning MEAC champion N.C. Central (9–3) — an FCS school and HBCU — on Sept. 14 before meeting reigning Sun Belt Conference champion James Madison (11–2) for the third time.
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UNC, which won’t play new ACC members Stanford, Cal or SMU, opens ACC play on Sept. 28 at Duke (8–5) and ends the regular season on Nov. 30 at home against N.C. State (9–4) as the Tar Heels will face four original conference members.
Stanford will be the first of the three new league teams to play an ACC game, playing at Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 20, one day before Cal travels to Florida State on Sept. 21. SMU’s first ACC game will come at home against the Seminoles on Sept. 28.
Cal and Stanford will host their first home ACC games on Oct. 5, as “ACC Football Day in the Bay” will feature Cal facing Miami and Stanford taking on Virginia Tech.
UNC, which plays seven home games and five road games, isn’t one of the five ACC teams facing Notre Dame next season. The Irish host Louisville on Sept. 28, Stanford on Oct. 12, Florida State on Nov. 9 and Virginia on Nov. 16, visiting Georgia Tech on Oct. 19.
After playing Duke, UNC has home games against Pittsburgh (3–9) on Oct. 5 and Georgia Tech (7–6) on Oct. 12 before getting its first open date. Carolina then plays two consecutive weeks, on Oct. 26 at Virginia (3–9) and Nov. 2 at Florida State, before the Tar Heels get their second open date.
The Tar Heels host Wake Forest (4–8) on Nov. 16 and visit Boston College (7–6) on Nov. 23 before the home finale against the Wolfpack.
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent (current ranking) | Record/TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | |||
| 29 | W, 15–10 | vs.TCU in Dublin | 1–0 |
| September | |||
| 12 | W, 35–3 | vs. ETSU | 2–0 |
| 19 | Noon | at Clemson | ESPN |
| October | |||
| 3 | TBA | vs. No. 3 Notre Dame | TBA |
| 10 | TBA | at Pittsburgh | TBA |
| 17 | TBA | at Duke | TBA |
| 24 | TBA | vs. Syracuse | TBA |
| 31 | TBA | vs. No. 5 Miami | TBA |
| November | |||
| 7 | TBA | at UConn | TBA |
| 14 | TBA | vs. No. 23 Louisville | TBA |
| 21 | TBA | at No. 25 Virginia | TBA |
| 28 | TBA | vs. N.C. State | TBA |
| December | |||
| 5 | noon, ABC | ACC championship game in Charlotte | ESPN |
ACC schedule
Photo via @AggieFootball; graphic courtesy of the ACC
