Every Halloween, adults typically go trick-or-treating with their kids while wearing a variety of costumes. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Halloween is also the setting for a primetime college football matchup.
At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, UNC will host top-ranked Miami (FL). The Tar Heels (4-3, 2-2 ACC) will try to respond from an embarrassing 31-30 overtime loss against Syracuse, while the Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 ACC) are on a freight train that won't stop.
Miami should won Saturday by a sizable margin, but if you're looking at recent matchup history, that won't be the case. North Carolina leads the all-time series, 16-11, winning each of the past five battles.
Expanding upon that, UNC is 12-8 against the Hurricanes since the latter became
an ACC member in 2004. Miami's last win in Chapel Hill came during 2017, when the Tar Heels won just three games in Larry Fedora's second-to-last season as head coach.
#UNC leads the all-time series against Miami, 16-11, and is 12-8 against the Hurricanes since they joined the ACC in 2004.
— Jacob Turner (@JacobTurnerNC) October 27, 2026
Carolina has also won five straight, including seven of the last eight, and hasn't lost to Miami in Chapel Hill since 2017.
Bogey team? 🥶 pic.twitter.com/FEajUM13c5
North Carolina and Miami last battled in 2023, with a 41-31 victory in Chapel Hill by the good guys. Drake Maye threw four touchdowns passes and added nearly 300 yards, extend UNC's then-undefeated streak to six straight wins.
The 2026 Hurricanes will be the Tar Heels' toughest opponent this fall, excluding Notre Dame. Miami has future NFL stars Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney, both of whom are in Heisman Trophy contention, while Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javion Mallory are the country's best 1-2 punch. Five Hurricanes have a minimum two sacks, anchored by Marquise Lightfoot (five). Miami kicker Jake Weinberg is near-automatic, only missing one field goal.
How can North Carolina extend its winning streak against the Hurricanes? Plenty has to go right, but for starters, the Tar Heels have to close out games and produce offensively in clutch time.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Can recent success against Miami lead UNC to Saturday upset?
