The first full weekend of college football kicks off this weekend. The slate of games includes a major-conference home battle for UNC Chapel Hill. Carolina will take on the Cal Bears from the Pac-12 at noon Saturday.Head Coach Larry Fedora says the Tar Heels are looking forward to competing against someone other than themselves.
“You’re at that point in the season early that you are tired of practicing against each other and you’re tired of preparing,” Fedora said. “You’re ready to get out on the field and see what your team’s made of.”
In other games involving Triangle teams, Duke hosts N.C. Central and N.C. State travels to Charlotte to take on South Carolina.
The Duke/N.C. Central match-up has become an annual event for both teams. Despite winning easily in the previous five meetings, Duke Coach David Cutcliffe says this game is likely to be much closer.
“They’ve quit trying to have good teams and they have built an outstanding program at North Carolina Central,” Cutcliffe said. “They are good players and they are well-coached. This is an outstanding test for the 2017 Duke football team.”
Duke took a step back last year , finishing under .500 after reaching four consecutive bowls from 2012-15.
The Blue Devils' home game with the Eagles starts at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.