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NORTH CAROLINA — A new bill filed in the North Carolina House aims to ensure that the University of North Carolina and NC State University continue their historic sports rivalry by requiring annual matchups in several sports.
House Bill 469, known as the Restoring Rivalries Act, mandates that UNC and NC State play each other annually in football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and softball.
According to WRAL, this legislation comes amid concerns about potential conference realignments that could separate the two schools.
“Essentially what we want to ensure is that UNC and NC State will continue to play in a world where they are not both in the ACC,” said Rep. Brenden Jones, the House’s Republican majority leader and a lead sponsor of the bill.
The bill stipulates that in baseball and softball, the teams must play three games in an academic year. Both UNC and NC State are founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which is currently headquartered in Charlotte.
The ACC has been facing challenges as it lags behind the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences in terms of revenue, prestige, and power in college athletics.
A recent settlement with Florida State and Clemson reduces the penalty for schools that leave the league before 2036. Rep. Jones expressed hope that UNC and NC State would remain in the same conference, but the bill does not require it.
“If the Big Ten or SEC were to ever invite either State or Carolina, this bill would indicate that they are a package deal,” Jones added.
The UNC System Board of Governors, which oversees public universities, has recently granted itself more authority over conference changes, reflecting the significant role politics can play in these decisions.
Previous legislative attempts to mandate regular games between UNC, NC State, and other in-state schools like East Carolina and Appalachian State have not advanced.
However, Jones, as a member of leadership, may have more influence to push the bill forward this year. Private schools Duke and Wake Forest are also part of the ACC, which hosts numerous championship events in North Carolina. Lawmakers have previously approved incentives to keep the conference headquartered in the state.
The Restoring Rivalries Act seeks to preserve the historic sports rivalry between UNC and NC State, even as the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve. The bill’s progress will be closely watched as it moves through the legislative process.
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