Football is Back, Y’all!
North Carolina Saturdays are about to get noisy again. College football returns with Duke and App State kicking off September 5, UNC heading to Dublin first, and enough wings and pimento cheese to make the couch feel like premium seating.
Saturdays Have Their Own Schedule Again
The first few weeks of September give North Carolina fans plenty to plan around. Duke hosts Tulane on September 5 at 3:30 p.m. at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium, a matchup fans can follow through the Duke game center.
Up the mountain, Appalachian State opens its season the same afternoon against Maine at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone. Kickoff is also set for 3:30 p.m., which means anyone hoping to keep tabs on both games may need either multiple screens or very understanding company.
UNC gets an earlier and considerably farther-flung start. The Tar Heels open against TCU on August 29 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, before returning to Chapel Hill to face East Tennessee State at Kenan Stadium on September 12.
For North Carolina football people, that means the familiar Saturday calculations are back: stadium or sofa, grill or bar, one game or three.
What’s on the Screen Matters. So Does What’s on the Plate.
Fans who prefer somebody else to handle the kitchen have options scattered across the state. Brady’s Pub in Benson leans into the sports-pub atmosphere with multiple screens, food and drinks. In Boone, Elevation 3333 offers American fare and a convenient gathering spot when game day takes over the High Country.
Closer to Charlotte, The Bearded Buffalo in Belmont gives fans another place to settle in for food, drinks and football, while Mossy’s Eats Ales Spirits in Clemmons covers the Winston-Salem side of the equation.
Staying home has its advantages, too. Keep the spread built for grazing: pulled-pork sliders, wings, pimento cheese dip, loaded potato skins and something sweet waiting for halftime. Nobody needs a three-course meal when the remote is getting this much exercise.
Whether Saturday involves a stadium parking lot, neighborhood sports bar or backyard cooler stationed within arm’s reach, football season has officially returned to the calendar.
Need a new place to catch the next kickoff? Browse more North Carolina sports bars through the Guide to North Carolina directory at https://www.guidetonc.com/sports-bars.
