North Carolina vs South Carolina

The Two Carolinas Compete in a Border Battle in Charlotte

This year marks the 150th anniversary of college football. We will once again publish an outlook for the states and local economies associated with major college football games each week. The first of the annual neutral site kickoff classic games took place last week in Orlando, where Florida defeated Miami 24-20 in a game that was not decided until the final minute. One of the games we are highlighting this week is the Belk College Kickoff Classic in Charlotte, where North Carolina will face South Carolina.

The Belk College Football Kickoff is a recent addition to the college football schedule, originating just four years ago. That first game also featured a matchup between North Carolina (UNC) and South Carolina (USC). The pairing is appropriate, as is the venue. Both schools are relatively close but do not play each other regularly. USC is located just 92 miles south of Charlotte in Columbia, which is actually closer than Chapel Hill, which is located 140 miles to the northeast of Charlotte. Charlotte is the Carolinas' largest city, with the 11-county metropolitan area (eight in North Carolina and three in South Carolina) home to 2.6 million residents. Approximately seven million of the Carolinas' 15.5 million residents live within 100 miles of downtown Charlotte.

Both football programs are working to get back on track. South Carolina is coming off a 7-6 season that ended with a lopsided loss to Virginia in the Belk Bowl. The Gamecocks saw their last real success under Steve Spurrier back in 2011-2013, when they strung together three consecutive 11-2 seasons, finishing #9, #8 and #4 in the nation, respectively. The best they have done since was 9-4 in 2017, with an impressive win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl. This season will be challenging. While quarterback Jake Bentley returns, the Gamecocks' top receiver from last year, Deebo Samuel, moved on to the NFL. The Gamecock's schedule is also daunting, with games against three of the top four teams—Alabama, Georgia and Clemson—as well as perennial conference powers Florida and Texas A&M.

This season marks the return of Mack Brown to UNC. Although UNC won their division just four years ago, the Tar Heels have struggled to regain sustained success ever since Brown left for Texas in 1998. UNC is coming off a dreadful 2-9 2018 season, and went 3-9 in 2017. Many of those losses were close, however, so the spark from Mack Brown's return might prove momentous.

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