Duke's held the Victory Bell for three straight years, and Bill Belichick's Tar Heels have to go into Durham this fall trying to take it back with his hot seat already sizzling.
Bush’s Picks
UNCDUKE
UNCDUKE
OverUnder
Best BetDuke
Duke's won three straight in this series and enters as the defending ACC champ, which counts for something even with a rebuilt roster. UNC swapped both of last year's quarterbacks and is still finding its footing under Petrino's new offense, while Belichick is working with a shorter leash after a 4-8 debut. Back Duke to keep the streak going at home.
North Carolina
+Bobby Petrino hire reshaped the offensive staff
+Landed experienced transfer QB Billy Edwards Jr.
+National attention still follows Belichick's program
−Belichick on the hot seat after 4-8 debut
−Preseason win total set at just 4.5
−Lost every 2025 QB to the portal
Duke
+Reigning ACC champion, first outright title since 1962
+Won three straight meetings, holds the Victory Bell
+Brought in 24 new players to reload roster
−Lost ACC Player of the Year finalist Darian Mensah
−Top two receivers and starting RT also gone
−Entire starting defensive line needs replacing
This one's got a real gap in stakes. Duke is the reigning ACC champion, first outright title since 1962, and enters 2026 trying to prove last season wasn't a one-off. North Carolina is coming off a 4-8 debut for Belichick and heads into Year 2 with a completely rebuilt quarterback room after both Max Johnson and Gio Lopez left via the portal.
Duke's not walking in unscathed either. ACC Player of the Year finalist Darian Mensah bolted for Miami this offseason, taking a 34-touchdown, 3,973-yard season with him, and Walker Eget, a San Jose State transfer, is the presumed replacement under center. UNC countered by bringing in Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator and landing Billy Edwards Jr., a 6th-year transfer with starting experience at Maryland and Wisconsin, to run it.
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UNC North Carolina
DUKE Duke
Both rosters turned over hard this offseason, and neither program looks like the finished product it was a year ago. That's part of why this rivalry has been so unpredictable lately, and it sets up an early market gap worth watching once lines firm up closer to kickoff.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Oct 9?@ Pittsburgh—
Oct 2?vs Notre Dame—
Sep 19?@ Clemson—
Sep 12?vs East Tennessee State—
Aug 29?@ TCU—
Duke Blue Devils
Oct 9?@ Georgia Tech—
Sep 26?vs William & Mary—
Sep 19?vs Stanford—
Sep 12?@ Illinois—
Sep 5?vs Tulane—
Recent form.
The recent history here is absurd for a game between two teams that don't always get top billing. The last three meetings have gone 47-45 in double overtime, 21-20 after Duke erased a 20-point deficit, and 32-25 last November on a fake field goal that sealed the Bell for the Blue Devils. Whatever else changes on either sideline, this series has a habit of coming down to the final possession.
North Carolina Tar Heels
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Duke Blue Devils
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Duke lost more than just its quarterback this offseason — top receivers Cooper Barkate and Que'Sean Brown left in the portal, right tackle Brian Parker II is off to the NFL, and the entire starting defensive line needs replacing. North Carolina's issues are more structural: a brutal non-conference slate that opens against TCU in Dublin, a Notre Dame trip, and a fourth-worst ACC win total that says the league doesn't expect much of a step forward. Whichever team figures out its new pieces first should have the edge when the Bell is on the line again in Durham.
