NC/ACC Week 10 CFB Previews & Schedules:
Duke-NCSU, UNC-UConn, USF-ECU (Friday)
Among Compelling Matchups For NC Teams
(DG’s Weekly CFB YouTube Show = Below)
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated Nov. 4, 2026)
The 2026 college football season continues Tuesday through Saturday with a compelling Week 10 schedule, with 6-2 Duke traveling to NC State, Wake Forest well-positioned for an 8-1 start, App State and UNC seeking important bounce-back victories, and East Carolina hosting 6-2 South Florida in a prime-time (Friday) national television window.
The most prominent games nationally include #1 Miami (8-0) visiting #4 Notre Dame (7-1) on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., NBC), #2 Georgia (7-1) traveling to #12 Ole Miss (6-2) in the same time slot (7:30 p.m., ABC), and #3 Utah (8-0) hosting #7 BYU (7-1) earlier in the day (noon, ABC). All three games have major implications for this year’s College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile, from the wide-ranging schedule (please see at bottom) involving teams from the Bold North State, below are more details from this week’s “Three To See” in-state selections, plus brief notes on three other compelling Week 10 matchups.
NC/ACC “Three To See,” Game One
Duke (6-2) at NC State (4-4), Sat., 12:30 p.m. (The CW)
This rivalry has one of the more unusual historical track records you’ll ever see, because there have been wildly dramatic, long-term swings of the pendulum in favor of one side or the other.
Basically, up until the mid-1960s, Duke absolutely owned NC State in football. Then it went back and forth for a while. More recently, the Wolfpack put together the longest winning streak — for either side — in the history of the series, taking 11 straight contests from 1994-2008.
Most recently, though, Duke has been back in control, with five victories in the last six matchups, including three straight under the Mike Elko/Manny Diaz head coaching combination and even two of the last three games played at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
This year, of course, you also could call this game the Coaching Carousel Bowl, because NC State already has fired 14th-year head coach Dave Doeren, and Duke is simply hoping to keep Diaz.
There is no doubt that Diaz is a hot commodity — he went 9-4 in his first year with the Blue Devils, then led them to their first ACC title since 1989 just last season, and he might just win nine games again this year — and there is legitimate cause for concern in Durham, because the one job that might tug on Diaz’s personal heart strings the most, at his alma mater Florida State, came open just this week with the dismissal of seventh-year head coach Mike Norvell.
While Diaz is not interested in the open NC State job, despite coaching there as an assistant under Chuck Amato for six seasons in the early 2000s, he likely would at least listen (regardless of his vague/coachspeak comments earlier this week) if a call came from FSU, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1995.
Regarding the specifics of this Duke-State matchup on Saturday afternoon, the analytics and the eyeball test both slightly favor the Blue Devils, even though the Wolfpack looked great in the second half of its 31-10 victory over Cal last week, in the team’s first game under interim head coach Todd Goebbel.
Duke is playing the best defense in the ACC under Diaz and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke, yielding a league-low 14 points per game, and State’s offense really struggled earlier this season in the team’s losses to two other opponents with strong defenses, Virginia and Wake Forest. It hasn’t helped that the Wolfpack has been missing star tailback Duke Scott, wide receiver Jojo Trader and a bunch of offensive linemen with various injuries.
Meanwhile, Duke has an All-American running back in Nate Sheppard and a high-IQ/low-mistakes quarterback in seventh-year senior Walker Eget, so the Blue Devils present a much more complicated challenge than Cal did against a Wolfpack defense that just doesn’t have nearly as many playmakers on its defensive front than it had in most other years under Doeren.
NC/ACC “Three To See,” Game Two North Carolina (4-4) at UConn (4-4), Sat., noon (CBSSN) When one of the most famous coaches in football history revisits the region where he spent 24 straight years and won six Super Bowls, there is going to be a lot of media attention, even though this is only a matchup of middling college football teams with identical 4-4 records.
Bill Belichick was the head coach of the New England Patriots from 2000-23, so his dramatic departure from that dynastic tenure came less than three years ago, and now he’s in Year Two of his $10 million-a-year contract at North Carolina, which had never before dedicated anything close to its current level of resources to the gridiron.
Importantly, after an embarrassing 4-8 debut with the Tar Heels in 2025, Belichick definitely has shown that he has his program on the upswing, although this game at UConn is exactly the type of challenge his 2026 team must win if the Heels are going to make a bowl game this season.
Carolina’s 38-35 loss to #1 Miami at Kenan Stadium last Saturday night showcased many aspects of the Tar Heels’ improvement under Belichick.
Their first-year offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino, came up with a brilliant game plan against the 7-0 Hurricanes, and UNC’s players — especially sixth-year senior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. — executed it nearly to perfection against what had been the #1 defense in the ACC. That combination simply never happened with last year’s team.
Also unlike last year, the Tar Heels displayed multiple players on both sides of the ball who should be considered legitimate All-ACC candidates, including wide receiver Jordan Shipp and tight end Jelani Thurman on offense, plus tackle Xavier Lewis, linebacker Derek McDonald and safety Greg Smith on defense. The Heels also continue to be the least-penalized team in the ACC, and they’re consistently playing with a football-IQ level only rarely seen in Chapel Hill.
Despite their considerable improvement this fall, the Tar Heels still have a very small margin for error, and they easily could finish anywhere from 8-4 to 4-8, with a trip to Virginia still ahead, plus home games against dangerous Louisville and unpredictable NC State.
That’s why this trip to UConn is so important. Syracuse recently edged UNC in Chapel Hill, but when the Orange traveled to East Hartford last month, they needed overtime to beat the Huskies, who have struggled defensively but can be dangerous on offense under first-year head coach Jason Candle (formerly of Toledo), who has dual-threat quarterback Kalieb Osborne at the controls.
Carolina definitely has more overall talent (especially on defense) and a better overall resume than the Huskies, but this will be a test of the Tar Heels’ leadership, maturity and focus, because they’re going straight from a high-profile, prominently televised (ABC) home game against a big-name, #1-ranked, undefeated opponent on a beautiful Southern evening … to a nondescript road game, played in a much smaller stadium in the Northeast, against a no-name opponent with a middling record, in colder temperatures, and with possible rain in the forecast.
The much-improved Heels may be capable of a big victory in this one, but in the end, any win will suffice.
NC/ACC “Three To See,” Game Three
Georgia State (4-4) at App State (5-3), Sat. 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
App State’s second season under head coach Dowell Loggains has become another example of the extreme volatility that is now commonplace across major college football.
On the one hand, the Mountaineers likely will be favored in their next three games — this one at home against Georgia State, then at Marshall, then back in Boone against Louisiana-Monroe — and if they win all three, they’ll probably be back in the running for a trip to the Sun Belt championship game, which would be an enormous accomplishment.
On the other hand, the Mountaineers are dealing with multiple injuries to key members of the offensive line, an area where few college teams have reliable depth, and that was a major problem in last week’s 19-3 loss at archrival Georgia Southern.
The bottom line? This season still could have a fantastic finish … or it could unravel completely, such that App State goes 6-6 and barely makes a bowl game.
One “Fun Fact” related to this rivalry is that App State has faced Georgia State 12 times, meaning every year since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2014, and the Mountaineers have defeated the Panthers all 12 times.
However, the Halloween-style scary aspect of this potentially unlucky matchup #13 is that Georgia State ranks second in the league in scoring offense, at 34 points per game, and the Panthers have a dangerous running back in Qwantavius Wiggins and a touchdown-making wide receiver in Rodshaun Dorsey.
Georgia State didn’t look nearly as strong offensively last week, with backup Ayden Pereira replacing the injured Cameran Brown at quarterback, but it’s not clear who the Panthers’ QB1 will be against the Mountaineers.
What is clear is that App State quarterbacks Malachi Singleton and Henry Hasselbeck will have to be much better against Georgia State, a team that has given up 31 or more points in each of its four losses this season, than they were last week at Georgia Southern, when the offense’s injury-riddled line often didn’t give them much of a chance.
Quick-Hitters Involving Other NC Teams
South Florida (6-2) at ECU (4-4), Fri., 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) — We’re bringing the Bold North State Tailgate & Traveling Sports Circus to this nationally televised, prime-time matchup in Greenville on Friday night, so we encourage folks to look for us at the Pirate Radio set-up near Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in the hours before kickoff. Both of these programs rank in the top half of the American Conference, and both of these teams have played very good defense for the most part this season. Offensively, both squads are more like a box of chocolates; you’re never sure what you’re going to get. One example of the extreme contrasts in play here is that South Florida is first in the league in total defense but dead-last in total offense. ECU’s most likely path to victory is very similar to how the Pirates posted a 17-9 home win over Temple last week — starting with excellent defense and continuing with effective running from tailbacks TJ Engleman Jr. and Ashton Gray and even quarterback Mitch Griffis — but, given USF’s very stiff defense, Griffis also will have to minimize sacks and turnovers while providing at least some production in the passing game, via wideouts Landon Sides and Ray Ray Joseph Jr. At last glance, the Pirates were a two-point favorite in this one, and that mainly reflects the home-field advantage in a matchup between very, very similar opponents.
Merrimack (4-5) at #14 Wake Forest (7-1), Sat., 3:30 p.m. (ACCN) — Although this contest itself is too predictable to deserve an actual preview, it’s worth mentioning that second-year Wake coach Jake Dickert truly has the Demon Deacons playing some of the best football in the entire country. In fact, the Deacs were even better in October than they were in September. Wake’s four wins last month came by lopsided scores of 57-3 over Stanford (a team that has defeated both Georgia Tech and NC State), 38-14 at NC State (a team that has defeated Louisville and just crushed Cal), 41-7 at Cal (a team that has defeated both Syracuse and Virginia Tech) and most recently 51-7 over Virginia (a team that has defeated NC State and Syracuse). Wake’s only loss this season is to #1 Miami, remember, and that 187-31 combined margin of victory over four different ACC foes represented the most dominant October in program history. The Deacons aren’t just winning; they’re annihilating their opponents, in a way very rarely seen from any Big Four program in recent decades, and that theme certainly should continue against Merrimack (an FCS program).
Stony Brook (5-4) at #19 Campbell (7-2), Sat., 1 p.m. (FloCollege) — If you’re a fan of high-powered offenses, you might want to consider a trip to Buies Creek this Saturday afternoon. That’s where and when you’ll find the two highest-scoring offenses in the Coastal Athletic Association, as Campbell hosts Stony Brook, with each team putting up about 33 points per game. Just as Campbell senior quarterback Kamden Sixkiller leads the conference with 2,620 passing yards and 20 touchdown throws so far this season, Stony Brook redshirt sophomore QB Quinn Boyd ranks second in the CAA in both categories, with 2,382 passing yards and 17 TD tosses. If the Camels can improve to 8-2 and 5-1 in conference play, they will remain in the hunt for at least a share of the CAA championship, which would be their first in program history.
NOTE: For the national edition of our Week 10 college football preview, including analysis on the highest-profile games, please click HERE.
NC Football Bowl Subdivision (Seven Teams)
(Games Saturday Unless Otherwise Indicated)
South Florida (6-2) at East Carolina (4-4), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2) — Friday
North Carolina (4-4) at UConn (4-4), noon (CBSSN)
Duke (6-2) at NC State (4-4), 12:30 p.m. (The CW)
Georgia State (4-4) at Appalachian State (5-3), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Merrimack (4-5) at #14 Wake Forest (7-1), 3:30 p.m. (ACCN)
Charlotte (1-7) at UAB (4-4), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Open Week: none
Atlantic Coast Conference (17 Teams)
Virginia Tech (6-2) at SMU (6-2), 7 p.m. (ESPN) — Friday
North Carolina (4-4) at UConn (4-4), noon (CBSSN)
Clemson (5-3) at Syracuse (4-4), noon (ESPN2)
Florida State (3-5) at Boston College (4-4), noon (ACCN)
Duke (6-2) at NC State (4-4), 12:30 p.m. (The CW)
Merrimack (4-5) at #14 Wake Forest (7-1), 3:30 p.m. (ACCN)
#1 Miami (8-0) at #4 Notre Dame (7-1), 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Louisville (5-3) at Georgia Tech (2-6), 7:30 p.m. (ACCN)
Open Week: Cal (3-6), Pitt (6-3), Stanford (4-5), Virginia (4-5)
NC Football Championship Subdivision (Seven Teams)
North Carolina A&T (4-5) at #14 Monmouth (7-2), noon (FloCollege)
NC Central (4-5) at Norfolk State (4-5), noon (ESPN+)
Stony Brook (5-4) at #19 Campbell (7-2), 1 p.m. (FloCollege)
Stetson (1-8) at Davidson (3-6), 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
Wofford (5-4) at Western Carolina (4-5), 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
Lindenwood (4-4) at Gardner-Webb (3-6), 1:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Hampton (1-8) at Elon (4-5), 2 p.m. (FloCollege)
Open Week: none
NC Division Two (13 Teams)
Shorter (3-6) at Chowan (5-4), 1 p.m. (CCDN)
Fayetteville State (6-3) at Winston-Salem State (2-7), 1:30 p.m. (CIAA)
Barton (1-8) at Erskine (2-7), 1:30 p.m. (CCDN)
Emory & Henry (3-6) at Wingate (5-4), 1:30 p.m. (FloCollege)
Elizabeth City State (3-6) at Bluefield State (1-8), 2 p.m. (CIAA)
Johnson C Smith (7-2) at Livingstone (3-6), 2 p.m. (CIAA)
UNC Pembroke (7-2) at Ferrum (3-6), 2 p.m. (CCDN)
Tusculum (4-5) at Lenoir-Rhyne (4-5), 2 p.m. (FloCollege)
Catawba (4-5) at UVa Wise (2-7), 3 p.m. (FloCollege)
Mars Hill (5-3) at Anderson (4-5), 4 p.m. (FloCollege)
Open Week: Shaw (4-6)
NC Division Three (Five Teams)
Methodist (1-7) at Brevard (6-2), 1 p.m. (FloCollege)
Guilford (1-7) at Averett (2-6), 1 p.m. (FloCollege)
North Carolina Wesleyan (4-4) at Greensboro (2-6), 2 p.m. (FloCollege)
Open Week: none
