UNC–South Carolina football series canceled amid new scheduling rules

The home-and-home football series between North Carolina and South Carolina, scheduled for 2028 in Columbia and 2029 in Chapel Hill, has been canceled, the university announced . According to TarHeel247 , South Carolina canceled the series, while North Carolina had been interested in keeping it on the schedule. The move comes amid widespread reshuffling of future nonconference games following decisions by both the SEC and ACC to adopt nine-game conference schedules.

The SEC approved its change on Aug. 21 last year, with the ACC announcing a similar move about a month later. Future scheduling update ⬇️ https://t.

co/VRkEVICzXx — Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) May 22, 2026 Under the new framework, each team is required to play at least 10 Power Four opponents per season. In simpler terms, every program must schedule at least one Power conference opponent in its nonconference slate. Those requirements, combined with expanded league schedules, have tightened available nonconference dates.

The ACC’s shift to a nine-game league schedule has been particularly complicated. With 17 member schools, the conference faces structural challenges in balancing a full round of games. The situation is further muddied by the league’s scheduling partnership with Notre Dame and several long-standing nonconference rivalry games, including Louisville-Kentucky, Clemson-South Carolina and Georgia Tech-Georgia.