The Tar Heels play in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

[77] Crum brought with him a tough, rigid philosophy of an aggressive offense powered by a strong running game and a defensive scheme that emphasized ball control and fundamentals.

Included in the 1990 total was a tie of Georgia Tech that proved to be the Yellow Jackets' only non-win that season en route to a share of the national championship.

[111] Largely due to Florida State joining the league in 1992 and their dominance over the college landscape in the 1990s, Brown was unable to win an ACC title in his first tenure despite leading the team during one of its most prolonged stretches of football success.

[112] Notable players who played for Brown in his first stint at North Carolina include Jeff Saturday, Greg Ellis and Dré Bly.

[131] UNC defeated Miami 31–28 on a last-second field goal by Connor Barth during the 2004 season; the Hurricanes were ranked fourth at the time in the AP poll.

[137] Bunting's last home victory on November 18, 2006, against NC State,[138] broke a seven-game losing streak, and he was able to close out his career one week later with a 45–44 win over Duke.

[147] During the season, suspicion mounted that Davis would leave UNC after his first year if the head coaching job at his alma mater, Arkansas, opened up.

"[151] Athletics director Dick Baddour said he could not release all the details of the contract until it was approved by the school's board of trustees, but did say the base salary would rise $29,000, the expenses would go up $5,000, and Davis’ supplemental income would go up $100,000.

[161] The America Football Coaches Association recognized fewer than 30 public universities for superior graduation rates that year, with UNC the only such institution in the state of North Carolina and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

[162] Despite fallout from the unfolding scandal, Davis' Tar Heels finished the regular season with a 7–5 record, earning a trip to the Music City Bowl against Tennessee.

[167] In response to the investigation, local and national sports columnists called for Davis' termination,[168][169] but some North Carolina fans still supported the coach.

[170] Thirteen UNC football players were suspended for the team's season opener in Atlanta against LSU,[171] and the Tar Heels lost the game 30–24.

[193] That record included snapping their losing streak to rivals NC State, winning in dramatic fashion after Giovani Bernard returned a punt for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

[195] In 2014, the Tar Heels underperformed on defense, giving up over 497 yards per game (111th in the nation, and fourth-worst among Power 5 teams) en route to a 6–7 season following a loss to Rutgers in the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl.

12 Florida State in Tallahassee by a score of 37–35 after a game-winning field goal as time expired, snapping the Seminoles' 22-game home winning streak.

After losing to NC State in the regular season finale, the Tar Heels, who were led by star quarterback Mitch Trubisky, lost in the 2016 Sun Bowl to Stanford by a score of 25–23.

The Tar Heels were unable to find consistent offense, cycling through several starting quarterbacks including LSU transfer Brandon Harris, Chazz Surratt, Nathan Elliott, Cade Fortin, and Jace Ruder.

[218] Under the air-raid system of offensive coordinator Phil Longo, freshman quarterback Sam Howell set the school record for passing touchdowns with 38.

Howell set more records in his second season under center, including single game passing touchdowns with six in a come-from-behind victory over Wake Forest.

He was replaced by Jack Bicknell Jr., who had previously worked with Tar Heel OC Phil Longo when both were at Ole Miss under head coach Matt Luke.

[229] Freshman RB Omarion Hampton ran for over 100 yards against the Rattlers as well, becoming the first Tar Heel running back to eclipse the century that in his first career game since Charlie "Choo-Choo" Justice in 1946.

Maye and star wide receiver Josh Downs would power the Tar Heel team to a 9–1 record through ten games, clinching their second, and final, ACC Coastal Division Championship following a victory against Wake Forest.

[233] Offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who had been a member of the coaching staff since Brown returned to UNC in 2019, left for Wisconsin after the season,[234] and was replaced by Chip Lindsey.

Sophomore running back Omarion Hampton, who had showed potential in 2022, broke out in a massive way in Lindsey's run-focused offensive scheme, rushing for 1,442 yards on the way to a second-team All-America season.

By January 1895, however, UNC left the SIAA, calling the venture "impracticable" due to distance considerations, in addition to the cost of associated travel expenses.

[255] After two more seasons in the Athletic Association, from late in 1899 to May 1902, North Carolina was suspended from the SIAA for playing two players, who were reportedly professionals, in a baseball game in 1902.

While the basketball rivalry between the two teams overshadows the importance of the yearly matchup on the gridiron, the football iteration has presented its fair share of classic games.

Since the formation of the ACC in 1953, North Carolina and NC State have played every year and the annual contest has evolved into the biggest rivalry game in football for both schools.

[270] Beneath the video board in the east end zone of Kenan Stadium, several Tar Heel greats have their jersey numbers honored.