North Carolina and Duke open their 2015 seasons Thursday – not against each other, unfortunately. North Carolina State starts Saturday. Either way, football is so close we can taste it! Here is an inside look at the season openers for the three Triangle ACC schools.
Thursday:
North Carolina (ACC) vs. South Carolina (SEC) at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Interesting tid-bids
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UNC has an overall record of 16-5-2 in the Queen City.
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The last time UNC played in Charlotte was at the end of the 2013 season, a 39-17 win over Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl. The Tar Heels have played four bowls games in BOA this decade.
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A total of 28 players on the current roster (including seven offensive starters) played in the Belk Bowl game in 2013.
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North Carolina has 22 players on its roster from Charlotte or the surrounding areas.
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Carolina is 3-3 in BOA stadium.
Playing versus South Carolina
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Carolina leads the all-time series with the Gamecocks, 34-19-4.
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The two teams opened the 2013 season on a Thursday night in Columbia. South Carolina won that contest, 27-10.
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North Carolina and South Carolina were once rivals in the old Atlantic Coast Conference.
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UNC head coach Larry Fedora has coached against South Carolina twice in the past. Once when he was at Southern Miss, and again in the season opener in 2013. Fedora is 0-2 versus the Gamecocks.
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Both teams enter the season unranked.
Duke (ACC) at Tulane (AAC)
Interesting tid-bids
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This is the first time Duke has opened the season on the road since 2005, when they played at East Carolina.
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The Blue Devils haven’t won a season opener on the road since 1988, a 10-point victory at Northwestern.
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The series between Duke and Tulane is scheduled to continue in 2019 (Durham) and 2020 (New Orleans).
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Duke is 5-2 in season openers under head coach David Cutcliffe.
Playing versus Tulane
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This will be the fifth meeting between Duke and Tulane.
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The Blue Devils is tied 2-2. Duke picked up wins in 2011 and 2014, both in Durham.
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The Green Wave went 3-9 in 2014.
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Tulane has only five winning seasons in the last 19 years.
Saturday:
Troy (Sun Belt) at North Carolina State (ACC)
Interesting tid-bids
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Troy head coach Neal Brown is the second-youngest coach on the FBS level. Brown turned 35 in March.
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Trojans’ defensive coordinator Vic Koenning is no stranger to NCSU. Koenning was the defensive coordinator at North Carolina for three seasons. The Wolfpack tuned up Koenning’s defense in a 35-7 NCSU win last season in Chapel Hill.
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Troy is 1-11 all-time versus the ACC.
Playing versus
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Saturday will mark the first ever meeting between the two schools.
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Troy gave up an average of 454 yards of total offense per game last season.
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NCSU rushed for 204.5 yards per game in 2014, 12th best mark in school history.