The UNC football team is getting set for what should be an exciting 2023 season. The Tar Heels won nine games in 2022, but head coach Mack Brown has insisted his team is not satisfied with plateauing there. Carolina’s 2023 schedule will look different from years past, as the Atlantic Coast Conference has implemented a “3-5-5” model for conference games. That means each team will play three opponents annually, then cycle between playing a group of five one year and another group of five the next year for a total of eight conference games per season. UNC’s three annual opponents are Duke, Virginia and NC State.
Here’s a look at who awaits the Tar Heels this fall:
Game 1 — South Carolina
Image via Associated Press/Artie Walker, Jr.
When and where? Saturday, September 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
The last time these teams played? It was one to forget for Tar Heel fans, as the Gamecocks had their way with Carolina in a 38-21 rout in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl (coincidentally, also played in Charlotte).
A chance to shine: With the game being broadcast on ABC and scheduled for primetime, the Tar Heels will be appearing in the featured game on ESPN’s College GameDay for just the third time ever. The Worldwide Leader is clearly all in on UNC quarterback Drake Maye, having featured the Heisman hopeful in several promotional images for the upcoming season. If Maye can impress in Week 1, it’s safe to expect Carolina would be rewarded with more primetime kickoffs.
A series, but not really: This is the fourth time in the past eight years UNC and South Carolina will have played in Charlotte, with the Gamecocks winning two of the previous three matchups. Three of the four games were scheduled as part of the Duke’s Mayo Classic (formerly the Belk College Kickoff), while the 2021 matchup was the aforementioned Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Confusing, I know. The two teams have played each other at home sites before, but that hasn’t happened since 2013, when Carolina visited Columbia. South Carolina hasn’t come to Chapel Hill since 2007.
Who leads the all-time series? UNC leads the series 35-20-4, but the Gamecocks have won seven of the last nine meetings and are 4-2 against Mack Brown’s Tar Heels.
2023 result: UNC won, 31-17.
Game 2 — Appalachian State
Image via Associated Press/Reinhold Matay
When and where? Saturday, September 9 at 5:15 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
The last time these teams played? No one in either fanbase will soon forget the 2022 meeting between the Tar Heels and Mountaineers, a 63-61 shootout in Boone which saw Carolina blow a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter but still pull out a win by stopping two late two-point conversion attempts. Drake Maye fully announced his presence in college football by tossing four touchdown passes and rushing for another.
A chance for redemption: App State’s last visit to Kenan Stadium turned into a Mountaineer celebration, when the visitors claimed a 34-31 win after a blocked field goal as time expired. It’s still the only time in Mack Brown’s second tenure as Tar Heel head coach that a non-Power 5 school has beaten the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
No place like home: Since Mack Brown returned to Chapel Hill in 2019, Carolina is 4-0 in home openers, though only one of those games came against a Power 5 opponent.
Who leads the all-time series? UNC leads the brief series, 2-1.
2023 Result: UNC won, 40-34 in double overtime.
Game 3 — Minnesota
Photo via Associated Press/Reinhold Matay.
When and where? Saturday, September 16 at 3:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
The last time these teams played? Never! This is the first-ever meeting between the Tar Heels and Golden Gophers in football.
B1G time football: It might surprise some fans, but Carolina actually has a winning record against Big Ten opponents at 13-9 (not counting 70 all-time games played against former ACC member Maryland). But September’s meeting against Minnesota will be the first game against a Big Ten opponent in Mack Brown’s second tenure. During Brown’s first tenure, Carolina only played a Big Ten opponent once, defeating Indiana 23-6 in 1997 in Chapel Hill.
For real this time: Despite never playing before, Minnesota and Carolina have had games planned in the past. A home-and-home series between the two programs was set for 2013 and 2014, but the Gophers paid $800,000 in 2012 to back out of the agreement. This season’s game is the first of a home-and-home series, with the Tar Heels visiting Minneapolis in 2024.
2023 Result: UNC won, 31-13.
Game 4 — Pittsburgh
Image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
When and where? Saturday, September 23 at 8 p.m. in Pittsburgh.
The last time these teams played? Drake Maye and company tore apart a stingy Pittsburgh defense in Kenan Stadium last season, scoring 21 fourth-quarter points on the way to a 42-24 win.
Road warriors: Carolina went a perfect 6-0 in true road games in 2022, a complete turnaround from not winning a single road game in 2021. Since Mack Brown’s return, the Tar Heels are 2-2 in their first road game of the season. But Brown’s teams still haven’t found a way to win in the Steel City, dropping two overtime games to the Panthers in 2019 and 2021. Still, Carolina is 3-2 at Pitt since the Panthers joined the ACC in 2013.
Starting on the right foot: Carolina is 3-1 in ACC openers in Mack Brown’s second tenure, but that record directly reflects the home-away split. UNC’s three wins all came at home, and its one loss came in the disastrous 2021 season opener at Virginia Tech. The environment at Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh likely won’t be as frenzied as Blacksburg’s Lane Stadium, but starting the conference season on the road is relatively unfamiliar territory for Carolina.
Who leads the all-time series? Carolina leads 11-5.
2023 Result: UNC won, 41-24.
Game 5 — Syracuse
Image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
When and where? Saturday, October 7 at 3:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
The last time these teams played? It was a bizarre scene the last time the Orange and Tar Heels met on the gridiron. Syracuse and Carolina played in front of an empty Kenan Stadium, as no fans were allowed inside the building due to the COVID pandemic. UNC easily won the game, 31-6. Syracuse’s last visit to Chapel Hill with fans was in 2003, when the Orange won 49-47.
Bye week blues: Carolina will have extra time to prepare for the Orange, as the weekend of September 30 is the Tar Heels’ bye week. But that hasn’t necessarily been a good thing in recent seasons. Since 2019, UNC is just 1-4 coming off of its scheduled bye week (COVID cancellations in 2020 are not counted).
Unfamiliar guests: Because of the ACC’s now-defunct scheduling model used during the Division Era and Syracuse’s relatively recent entry into the conference, the Orange and Tar Heels have met just twice in the last two decades. Syracuse won a double-overtime thriller in 2018 in the Carrier JMA Wireless Dome, and Carolina won in the aforementioned COVID season of 2020. But with the ACC’s new scheduling model, Syracuse and UNC will meet every other year.
Who leads the all-time series? The series is tied, 3-3.
2023 Result: UNC won, 40-7.
Game 6 — Miami
Image via The News & Observer/Robert Willett
When and where? Saturday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
The last time these teams played? Carolina took control early and held off a furious Hurricane rally en route to a 27-24 victory in Hard Rock Stadium last season. Drake Maye threw a pair of touchdown passes but was also picked off twice.
No in-between: Mack Brown is 4-0 against Miami as head coach of the Tar Heels, and those four games have either been decided by razor-thin margins or been historic blowouts. Three of the most recent meetings with the Hurricanes have each been decided by three points, including last year’s game. The other was decided by 36 points: a 62-26 Carolina road romp which punched the Tar Heels’ ticket to the Orange Bowl.
Unfriendly confines: Regardless of UNC’s coach, Kenan Stadium has been a hard place for Miami to play. Since the Hurricanes joined the ACC in 2004, they are just 3-6 in Chapel Hill (this includes a 2009 loss to the Tar Heels which was eventually vacated). Even Miami’s three wins have been no walk in the park, as each came by six points or fewer. Carolina has always played the ‘Canes tough.
Who leads the all-time series? Carolina leads the series, 13-11.
2023 Result: UNC won, 41-31.
Game 7 — Virginia
Image via Associated Press/Mike Caudill
When and where? Saturday, October 21 at 6:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
The last time these teams played? Carolina didn’t look its best, but still made just enough plays to pull out a 31-28 win in Charlottesville last fall. It was the first win ever at Virginia for head coach Mack Brown.
A series of streaks: Virginia had Carolina’s number in the late 2010s, winning four straight against the Tar Heels between 2017 and 2020. But UNC has won the last two meetings, which for older Carolina fans is quite the accomplishment. Between 1983 and 2009, the Tar Heels never won consecutive games against the Cavaliers. UNC then rattled off seven straight before Virginia’s aforementioned four-game streak.
Expect fireworks: The Tar Heels may only be 2-2 against Virginia since 2019, but in each of those games they have scored at least 31 points. This includes a 59-point explosion in Kenan Stadium 2021 which saw Josh Downs tally a career-high 203 receiving yards. Downs then followed that up with a 166-yard performance in Charlottesville last season. The star receiver may be gone for the NFL, but it’s fair to expect Drake Maye and the offense to still find the end zone often.
Who leads the all-time series? Carolina holds a slim 66-58-4 advantage.
2023 Result: Virginia won, 31-27.
Game 8 — Georgia Tech
Image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
When and where? Saturday, October 28 at 8 p.m. in Atlanta.
The last time these teams played? The Yellow Jackets stunned Carolina in Kenan Stadium, erasing a 17-0 deficit to pull off a 21-17 upset win. It was the first of four straight UNC losses to end the season.
Feeling the sting: Georgia Tech has had Carolina’s number as of late, and especially when the two sides meet in Atlanta. The Jackets have won four of the last five games in the series and 10 of the last 12 in Atlanta. This includes a humiliating 45-22 blowout in UNC’s most recent visit down south. It was the last game of that season the Tar Heels were ranked.
Insider knowledge: Carolina pilfered two transfers from Georgia Tech’s roster in the offseason: receiver Nate McCollum and defensive back Derrik Allen. McCollum, the Yellow Jackets’ leading receiver in 2022, did not play in the programs’ most recent meeting. Allen, the older brother of Carolina cornerback Marcus Allen, recorded three tackles in a suffocating team defensive effort. Both players will have a chance to show their former team what it’s missing in 2023.
Who leads the all-time series? Georgia Tech holds a 32-21-3 lead over the Tar Heels.
2023 Result: Georgia Tech won, 46-42.
Game 9 — Campbell
Image via Campbell Athletics
When and where? Saturday, November 4 at 12 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
The last time these teams played? Never! This is the first-ever meeting between Campbell and UNC in football.
Campbell has a football program? That’s right! The Camels actually first played football in 1925 and the program continued until 1950, when it was cancelled at the onset of the Korean War. The program returned to Campbell in 2008 and the team has played in the FCS ever since. The Camels have played in both the Pioneer Football League and the Big South Conference, but 2023 will be their first season in the Colonial Coastal Athletic Association.
A local connection: The Camels are led by a name many local football fans will recognize. Mike Minter has been Campbell’s head coach since 2013 after playing for the Carolina Panthers for 10 seasons. Minter was a starting defensive back on the Panthers team which reached Super Bowl XXXVIII.
2023 Result: UNC won, 59-7.
Game 10 — Duke
Image via Associated Press/Ben McKeown
When and where? Saturday, November 11 at 8 p.m. in Chapel Hill.
The last time these teams played? It was a down-to-the-wire thriller in Wallace Wade Stadium, as Carolina blew a 10-point lead in the third quarter but still pulled out a victory thanks to Drake Maye’s touchdown pass to Antoine Green with 16 seconds left.
A run of dominance: Under Mack Brown, Carolina has won 12 consecutive games against the Blue Devils (four straight since 2019 and eight straight between 1990 and 1997). It appears Brown took a historic blowout personally; in 1989, Duke demolished the Tar Heels 41-0 in Kenan Stadium and capped off the day by taking a celebratory picture in front of the stadium scoreboard. It’s still the Blue Devils’ last win against a Brown-coached team.
The Duke football team poses in front of the Kenan Stadium scoreboard after thrashing Mack Brown’s Tar Heels 41-0. (Image via Duke Athletics)
Playing for pride: Since returning to Chapel Hill, Mack Brown has prioritized winning in-state matchups. And his Tar Heels have done just that, accruing an 11-4 record (4-0 against Duke) against in-state opponents during his four-year tenure. November’s matchup with the Blue Devils will be the third of four in-state games for the Tar Heels during the regular season.
Who leads the all-time series? Carolina holds a decisive 63-41-4 advantage.
2023 Result: UNC won, 47-45 in double overtime.
Game 11 — Clemson
Image via The News & Observer/Robert Willett
When and where? Saturday, November 18 at 3:30 p.m. in Clemson.
The last time these teams played? Drake Maye played the worst game of his career, throwing two interceptions (including one returned nearly 100 yards for a touchdown) as the Tigers romped over the Tar Heels 39-10 in the 2022 ACC Championship.
Death Valley indeed: Clemson’s Memorial Stadium hasn’t been kind to the Tar Heels as of late. The Tigers have won four straight home matchups with Carolina by an average of 22 points. Mack Brown-coached UNC teams are just 1-4 at Clemson, and those four losses came by an average of 20 points.
No surprises this time: After losing the ACC Championship, Brown admitted he was surprised Clemson went to backup quarterback Cade Klubnik early in the game instead of using starter D.J. Uiagaleilei the entire way. There doesn’t appear to be any uncertainty under center this season, as Uiagaleilei has transferred to Oregon State, leaving Klubnik as the clear QB1.
Who leads the all-time series? Clemson holds a 39-19-1 advantage over the Tar Heels.
2023 Result: Clemson won, 31-20.
Game 12 — NC State
Image via Eli Melet
When and where? Saturday, November 25 at 8 p.m. in Raleigh.
The last time these teams played? The Tar Heels and Wolfpack battled into double overtime in front of a packed Kenan Stadium, but it was the visitors who prevailed, 30-27, thanks to Noah Burnette’s missed field goal.
The razor’s edge: State and Carolina’s last two meetings have each been decided by the thinnest of margins. There was last season’s aforementioned double-overtime thriller and then 2021’s unforgettable meeting in Raleigh, when Carolina held a 30-21 lead with less than two minutes left but — thanks to a botched onside kick recovery after a Wolfpack touchdown — still lost the game.
Winning the big one: Since joining the program in 2013, NC State head coach Dave Doeren has a 6-4 record against Carolina. Wolfpack loyalists will tell you it’s Doeren’s knack for beating the Tar Heels — particularly in dramatic and/or painful ways for the folks in Chapel Hill — which has kept his job safe despite several relatively uneventful seasons. After State limped across the finish line to an 8-5 record despite starting the season ranked in the Top 15, it’s worth wondering if a Carolina victory in Raleigh could be the final nail in the coffin for Doeren’s tenure with the Wolfpack.
Who leads the all-time series? Despite losing the last two meetings, UNC holds a 68-38-6 advantage in the series.
Featured image via Associated Press/Mike Caudill
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