A historic series ends
The University of North Carolina announced that its scheduled home‑and‑home football series with the University of South Carolina for the 2028 and 2029 seasons will not take place.
The cancellation is tied to sweeping scheduling reforms that will reshape both the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference beginning in 2026, when each league adopts a nine‑game conference slate and requires member institutions to schedule at least ten games against Power Four opponents each season.
The rivalry, first announced in May 2021, had become a centerpiece of the Tar Heels’ non‑conference plan, pitting a 35‑20‑4 all‑time lead for UNC against the Gamecocks.
Under the new framework, both schools will shift several of their traditional opponents, and the series was ultimately dropped to accommodate the revised calendars.
What’s next for the Tar Heels?
The revised 2028 slate will see the Tar Heels host Boston College, NC State, Stanford and Wake Forest, while traveling to face Duke, Florida State, SMU and Virginia. In 2029, the home slate expands to include California, Clemson, Duke and Virginia, with road games at Louisville, Miami, NC State and Virginia Tech.
A separate agreement with James Madison University moves their previously slated September 23, 2028, meeting to August 30, 2031, further reshaping the Tar Heels’ future non‑conference schedule.