Tar Heel Nation has every right to be upset after Saturday's heartbreaking loss to top-ranked Miami, but there's also plenty to be proud of.

Few people gave UNC even the slightest chance of competing on Halloween, with odds favoring the visiting Hurricanes by 14. North Carolina just lost against then-2-win Syracuse on October 24, further reason for skepticism.

The Tar Heels lost, 38-35, in their second-straight night game. UNC (4-4, 2-3 ACC) will be on the road this coming weekend at UConn, then return home to host Louisville on November 14.

North Carolina just learned kickoff time for its next home game. On Monday, the Tar Heels announced they'll kick off against the Cardinals at 7 or 7:30 p.m. ET, with ESPN2 or the ACC Network scheduled to carry this ACC clash.

After playing five straight 12 p.m. games to open 2026, UNC hosted consecutive night games. North Carolina will kick off at noon against the Huskies (4-4) this coming weekend, then return to another night game.

Once-ranked Louisville (5-3, 4-2) recovered since starting 2-3, winning three straight games, most recent a 52-24 stomping of Stanford on Halloween. The Cardinals have an electric offense led by Ohio State transfer Lincoln Keinholz (2,094 passing yards, 12 TDs), but their defense ranks near the bottom amongst FBS programs.

The Tar Heels need just two more wins to reach bowl eligibility after their 2025 absence. UConn isn't anything special, giving UNC a should-be win, but we said the same thing about Syracuse (4-4, 2-4 ACC).

If North Carolina wins in East Hartford, expect kickoff against Louisville to be 7 p.m. on ESPN2. We'll know the official time and channel as early as next Sunday.