Today we will take a look at UNC football’s record against its rivals.
North Carolina football has a long history. With multiple rivals to choose from, other schools have no shortage of hatred for the Tar Heels.
Duke
All-Time Record: 64-40
North Carolina has won the last four and 26 of the last 32. The Tar Heels have dominated this rivalry since the start of the 1970’s. Although basketball is the main rivalry between these two, there is no shortage of bad blood in football. Playing for the Victory Bell, these two go at each other no matter their records.
NC State
All-Time Record: 68-38
Since the start of the century, North Carolina has won just 9 of the 23 meetings between the two. The teams have split the last four games, with North Carolina outscoring the Wolfpack 146 to 94. It seems that as of late, North Carolina is more talented and comes in as the favorite, just for something wild to happen and NC State to eventually get the win.
Virginia
All-Time Record: 66-57
“The South’s Oldest Rivalry” is one of the most underrated in the country. These two battle it out no matter the sport. Although North Carolina leads the series, it seems that the Tar Heels are cursed when playing in Charlottesville. This is not a rivalry that usually goes back and forth. Most of the time, one of the schools goes on a long win streak. Since 2000, UVA leads the series 12 games to 11.
Virginia Tech
All-Time Record: 14-25
These two played either every year or every few years from 1895 to 1946. After that, they did not meet again until 1997, when the Hokies were blown out. When Virginia Tech joined the ACC in 2004, it started a rivalry that has since been filled with bad blood, negatively recruiting against one another, and pulling prospects from each other’s state. This has been a fantastic rivalry since 2004, especially over the last decade. Two recent highlights are Virginia Tech upsetting the Tar Heels in the first game back from Covid, and North Carolina ruining legendary Hokie coach Frank Beamer’s final home game.
South Carolina
All-Time Record: 35-20
These two played regularly from 1903 to 1991. When the Gamecocks moved to the SEC, the games stopped for over a decade. The two have played five times since 2007, with South Carolina winning four of those. UNC’s lone win of those was the start of Sam Howell’s legendary Tar Heel career in 2019.
Wake Forest
All-Time Record: 72-36
UNC has dominated the series since the 90’s. The last three games have been extremely close, with them being decided by a combined 11 points. Both schools have a long history in the state. Although the two have long battled it out, North Carolina has doubled up the series.
As we stated before, there is a long history of football for North Carolina. UNC has long been considered a “sleeping giant” by analysts. When will the Tar Heels break through?
