In an atypical late-season non-conference game, North Carolina will hit the road and face UConn in the first year of a home-and-home series on Nov. 7 in Week 11.
It'll be UNC's second time playing UConn in a true road game, with its only trip 17 years ago. Kickoff is slated for noon in East Hartford, Connecticut, at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. The game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
The matchup will be just the fifth all-time meeting between the programs, with UNC holding a 3-1 record in the four games. Most recently, on Dec. 28, 2024, the Tar Heels fell to the Huskies in the Fenway Bowl, 27-14. But in one traditional road game and two home contests, UNC is 3-0 against UConn.
The Tar Heels bested the Huskies in Chapel Hill in 1990 and 2008, before securing a 12-10 win at UConn in 2009.
The Huskies have found recent success under former coach Jim Mora, who left UConn for the head coaching job at Colorado State after last season.
An FBS independent, the Huskies recorded the second of back-to-back 9-4 seasons in 2025 under Mora. Before 2024, UConn hadn't won nine games since 2007.
The Huskies' 2025 campaign featured wins against Duke, Syracuse and Boston College.
This past offseason, UConn hired Toledo head coach Jason Candle to take over its program, hoping to sustain the success it had under Mora.
The Huskies — under a new coach — are heading into 2026 with a lot of unknowns. UConn's two nine-win seasons were led by quarterback Joe Fagnano, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.
The Huskies' current quarterback room consists of three redshirt freshmen and one true freshman, plus redshirt junior Tucker McDonald, who played in three games and completed one of two passes for UConn last season. Jake Merklinger, an incoming transfer from Tennessee, is a former four-star prospect. Candle also brought former Toledo quarterback Kalieb Osborne with him to Connecticut from Ohio.
Following the 2025 season and amid a coaching transition, UConn lost several key contributors, including leading rusher Cam Edwards, who transferred to Michigan State; leading receiver Skyler Bell, who was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft; and leading tackler Byrun Parham, who exhausted his eligibility.
Candle's first roster at UConn consists of 21 transfers from Toledo, including three defensive backs, six wide receivers, two running backs, one quarterback, four offensive linemen, two linebackers and three defensive linemen.
The Huskies' roster in 2026 will feature nearly 60 transfers and seven incoming freshmen.
Most of UConn's starters are still unclear through the spring, with position battles expected to take shape during fall camp.
But either way, with significant change at UConn, this non-conference game will seemingly be a must-win for UNC if it wants to get to a bowl game, given its otherwise grueling schedule.