UNC Football: Tar Heels schedule with divisions eliminated in ACC
Divisions are no more in the ACC, with the conference deciding to switch up how their schedules look on a regular basis. Each team will now have three permanent opponents and rotate between the 10 other teams, with the format officially being called “3-5-5.”
For North Carolina, the three teams on the schedule every season are Duke, NC State, and Virginia. As for everyone else in the ACC, UNC will see them twice over a four-year stretch, with one being at home and the other on the road.
Exact dates have not been announced but opponents and destinations were announced by the ACC up until the 2026 season. UNC now knows what the foreseeable future looks like from a scheduling perspective under head coach Mack Brown.
UNC 2023 season
Home – Duke, Miami, Syracuse, Virginia
Away – Clemson, Georgia Tech, NC State, Pittsburgh
2024 season
Home – Boston College, NC State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech
Away – Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Virginia
2025 season
Home – Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia
Away – Miami, NC State, Syracuse, Wake Forest
2026 season
Home – Florida State, Louisville, NC State, Wake Forest
Away – Boston College, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech
More on schedule change for UNC, ACC
“The future ACC football scheduling model provides significant enhancements for our schools and conference, with the most important being our student-athletes having the opportunity to play every school both home and away over a four-year period,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said in a statement. “We appreciate the thoughtful discussions within our membership, including the head football coaches and athletic directors. In the end, it was clear this model is in the best interest of our student-athletes, programs and fans, at this time.”
The move came after the NCAA relaxed its requirements for conference championship games. Some other leagues, including the Pac-12 and Mountain West, also moved to eliminate divisions as a result. But others such as the Big Ten and the SEC haven’t announced decisions. They are working out media rights deals and realignment as well.
The SEC could go with a similar model to the ACC with primary and rotating opponents. The idea is one of many that came out of SEC spring meetings in Destin.
“SEC has already thought through the toughest part of playing in one division — competitive balance,” CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd tweeted last month. “One model would have all 16 teams playing each other twice within a 4-year period. (3 fixed opponents, six rotating).”
On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.