North Carolina Granted Underwhelming Chance to Upset Duke

The North Carolina Tar Heels will be heading out on the road this weekend to face off against the Duke Blue Devils.

This is one of the bigger games of the season for the Tar Heels, with it being a direct rivalry matchup. The two schools don't like one another, no matter what sport is being played, and fireworks tend to always take place.

Duke defeated North Carolina on the road last season, and the Tar Heels will now be trying to return the favor. North Carolina would love nothing more than to grab a massive win against Duke on the road, silencing their fans.

The Tar Heels will come into the game with a record of 3-2 on the season, with the team coming off a big win over the Pittsburgh Panthers. North Carolina grabbed a massive victory on the road a week ago, keeping their season going strong.

As for the Blue Devils, they enter the game 4-1 on the season, coming off a tough loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Duke will be trying to bounce back in this game, and the Tar Heels will need to be ready for the desperation from the team.

Coming into this game against Duke, the Tar Heels will be looking to make a statement, but the chances aren't the best. According to ESPN's matchup predictor, North Carolina only has a 46.1 percent chance of taking down their rivals this week.

The 2026 season hasn't gone to plan for North Carolina so far, with the team being very inconsistent from week-to-week. But this game against Duke does offer them a chance to earn a huge ACC conference win, with them building on the success from the last few weeks.

There has been a lot of criticism and scrutiny on this program this season, but the Tar Heels have done their best to silence the noise. Head coach Bill Belichick has taken the brunt of it all, with many people questioning whether he should still be the leader of the team.

But the players have rallied around their head coach, and this game against Duke could help his job security as well. If the Tar Heels could pull off the upset, it could continue to silence any questions about the veteran head coach.

Kickoff for this rivalry game between North Carolina and the Blue Devils is scheduled to take place at 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET from Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham.