Ranking North Carolina's Four Toughest Games of 2026

The Tar Heels face their fair share of difficult opponents this upcoming season.

Oct 17, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick reacts against the California Golden Bears in the first quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels and head coach Bill Belichick face a pivotal season after a massive disappointment in 2025, marked by off-field drama and a lack of chemistry that was painfully obvious throughout the year.

Both the program and Hall of Fame coach are hoping to rectify that this upcoming campaign. However, they do face some incredibly difficult opponents that could pose a threat to Belichick's pursuit of his first bowl game as the Tar Heels' head coach. Let's rank the four toughest games for North Carolina heading into the summer.

4) at Clemson Tigers, Week 13

Oct 4, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Jordan Shipp (13) is tackled by Clemson Tigers cornerback Ashton Hampton (23) in the second quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

I've seen my fair share of games in Death Valley at Memorial Stadium, and at its peak, it's easily one of the toughest environments to play. Clemson might argue for more than North Carolina, considering they were once a college football powerhouse for much of the 2010s, and expectations always seem to be championship-or-bust.

The Tigers will want to tighten things up at home moving forward, which means the Tar Heels will be in for a difficult battle in what should be the latter's toughest road game of the season.

3) vs. Miami Hurricanes, Week 9

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Ahmad Moten Sr. (99) against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The championship runner-ups from last season, Miami, might be back. Despite losing talent to the NFL, they're reloading on both sides of the ball with key transfer additions and standout talents who could hear their names called early in next year's draft. Depending on how both programs are performing at this point of the season, Week 9 could be a trap game for the Hurricanes.

The Tar Heels will hopefully have their quarterback situation figured out at this point, and it will be fascinating to see how they could handle what could be an under-the-lights matchup on primetime with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. You want to talk about pressure? This game will only amp that up for Belichick's young team.

2) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Week 5

Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) calls an audible at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Like Miami, Notre Dame is a likely championship favorite in 2026 and loaded with incredible talent across the board. They're coming to Chapel Hill on October 3, giving North Carolina an exciting test to see how far they have come as a program under Belichick.

I view this game in favor of the Irish, no matter what happens in the first handful of games. In all other matters, this is the toughest game on the Tar Heels' schedule, but another game that is all the more important than this one.

1) vs. N.C. State Wolfpack, Week 13

Nov 29, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick takes to the field during the warmups of the game against NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

There is no game more important on North Carolina's schedule than this one, especially if they're fighting for bowl eligibility. These two programs do not like each other, and the Wolfpack have had the Tar Heels' number for the last five years, with the latter hoping that comes to an end this season. N.C. State could finally hit the 10-win threshold, but North Carolina may play spoiler in this instance.

Either way, no matter what their records are by Week 13, this is a must-win-at-all-costs game in what could very well be the last for Belichick if things don't go his way in 2026.