The ACC opener for the Clemson Tigers sees Dabo Swinney's team going up against Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels at Memorial Stadium in Week 3 of the 2026 college football season.
Clemson (1-1) is coming off an uninspiring 22-7 victory over Georgia Southern
. The big storyline was true freshmanTate Reynolds' emergence as the Tigers' starting quarterback (for now) following an injury to Christopher Vizzina in the first quarter last Saturday.Reynolds was 16-of-27 for 178 yards and also showed off his legs with a 16-yard run. Beyond that, Clemson's offensive line struggled again and yielded 11 tackles for loss. The Tigers needed five field goals from Nolan Hauser, who connected on a 50-yard try and a 49-yarder in the fourth quarter
as they slowly built a two-score lead.
Clemson rushed for 150 yards primarily behind Gideon Davidson and Chris Johnson Jr., who combined for 115 total. The Tigers' lone touchdown came in the first quarter off a 10-yard Vizzina pass to T.J. Moore. The defense held Georgia Southern to 22 rushing yards and sacked quarterback Max Johnson three times.
North Carolina (2-0) coasted to a 35-3 win over East Tennessee State in Chapel Hill last Saturday, two weeks after pulling off a 15-10 upset of TCU in Dublin, Ireland. Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns in UNC's Week 2 win, and Demon June ran for three touchdowns.
ESPN reveals TV commentators for Clemson football vs North Carolina
Ahead of Clemson-UNC, ESPN has announced who will have the call of Saturday's game. Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddck will call the action from the broadcast booth at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Stormy Buonantony will report from the sidelines.
Wischusen was on the call for two Clemson games a season ago: the Tigers' 24-21 loss at Georgia Tech on Sept. 13 and their stunning 34-21 home loss to Syracuse the following week.
Wischusen is in his 21st season calling college football games for ESPN/ABC. He is also the radio play-by-play voice of the New York Jets. Riddick has been with ESPN since 2013 and has had many roles with the network, including a stint on Monday Night Football next to play-by-play voice Steve Levy.
Wischusen and Riddick are in their third season together in the broadcast booth as part of ESPN and ABC's coverage of college football.
What channel is Clemson football vs. North Carolina on?
Clemson-North Carolina will broadcast nationally on ESPN in Week 3 of the 2026 college football season. The game will stream on ESPN+ and Disney+.
Clemson vs. UNC football kickoff time
Kickoff for Clemson-North Carolina is scheduled for noon ET Saturday.
Clemson football history vs. North Carolina, Dabo Swinney record against Tar Heels
Clemson and North Carolina are meeting for the 62nd time in school history. The Tigers lead the all-time series, 41-19-1 and have gone 7-1 in eight meetings against the Tar Heels under Swinney.
Here are game-by-game results for Clemson vs. North Carolina since 2010:
- Oct. 4, 2025: Clemson 38, North Carolina 10 (Chapel Hill)
- Nov. 18, 2023: Clemson 31, North Carolina 20 (Clemson)
- Dec. 3, 2022: Clemson 39, North Carolina 10 (ACC championship, Charlotte)
- Sept. 28, 2019: Clemson 21, North Carolina 20 (Clemson)
- Dec. 5, 2015: Clemson 45, North Carolina 37 (ACC championship, Charlotte)
- Sept. 27, 2014: Clemson 50, North Carolina 35 (Clemson)
- Oct. 22, 2011: Clemson 59, North Carolina 38 (Clemson)
- Oct. 9, 2010: North Carolina 21, Clemson 16 (Chapel Hill)
Dabo Swinney makes wild comparison for Clemson freshman quarterback
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) September 16, 2026
📸 Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network , USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect https://t.co/8CEojh5pst pic.twitter.com/VucIxD8jQp
Clemson football schedule 2026
All times Eastern.
- Sept. 5: at LSU Tigers (L, 51-10)
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern Eagles (W, 22-7)
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina Tar Heels, noon, ESPN
- Sept. 25: at California Golden Bears, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami Hurricanes, TBA
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers, TBA
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech Hokies, TBA
- Oct. 31: at Florida State Seminoles, TBA
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse Orange, TBA
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, TBA
- Nov. 20: at Duke Blue Devils, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, TBA
Record: 1-1.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: TV channel, commentators for Clemson football vs. North Carolina
