If you're heading to Chapel Hill for the UNC football program's upcoming clash with Notre Dame (or plan on watching from home), you're going to have to wait a bit to make the proper arrangements to free up your schedule.
The game time and television network are to be determined and won't be announced until after all games are played on Saturday, September 26. This six-day hold has been placed by the ACC and ESPN.
Our Notre Dame game time (Oct. 3) has been placed on a six-day hold, with the game time and TV network TBD after all games are played this Saturday, Sept. 26. pic.twitter.com/RmhYB7XQUI
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) September 21, 2026
While we won't know the specifics until this weekend, past history could tell us at least the start time for the latest meeting between the two programs.
History suggests a mid-afternoon start for Notre Dame vs. UNC
While the first three games of the regular season for Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels have been at noon, this game has a 3:30 PM EST kickoff written all over it.
Trivia question time: What time did North Carolina's last four home games against Notre Dame start?
If you guessed 3:30 PM EST, you are correct!
Yes, North Carolina "fumbled the bag" when it came to potentially hosting ESPN's College GameDay. Had UNC held on to defeat Clemson (and not choke the game away), the start time would be up for much more debate, potentially putting the game between a pair of unbeaten teams on prime time.
However, UNC couldn't get the job done, which changes things a bit.
This isn't a game that screams "great potential night game." However, the intrigue surrounding the Fighting Irish is appealing enough to make this game later in the day, going away from the noon streak that UNC has lived by early in the season.
A safe bet would be to think that this game will be a mid-afternoon game, with a 3:30 PM start feeling like the perfect slot for it.
Now, there's still a lot to be determined based on how other games shape out this upcoming weekend. There may be some interest to get this game on prime time, especially if some upsets occur before the final decision is made.
Unfortunately, we won't have a concrete answer until later Saturday night or early Sunday morning. It feels safe to say that a noon kickoff won't be happening in Chapel Hill in two weeks, but the exact start time is still very much up in the air.
Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team as we'll provide the latest updates leading up to UNC's upcoming clash with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
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