CHARLOTTE — In a little more than two weeks, UNC Chapel Hill will play the University of South Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in a nationally televised, prime-time, season-opening matchup. Organizers told CBJ on Monday that Charlotte’s annual Labor Day weekend opener, known as the Duke’s Mayo Classic, is likely to attract a crowd of more than 60,000 fans.
[ INFO: 2023 Duke’s Mayo Classic to air on Channel 9 ]
If that estimate pans out, attendance would be the highest to date for a Tar Heels-Gamecocks game in Charlotte. The teams previously met in the kickoff game in 2015 and 2019. Attendance was 51,664 in 2015 and 52,183 in 2019. Capacity at BofA Stadium is 74,000.
“We’re starting to see more and more attention on the game,” Charlotte Sports Foundation spokesperson Miller Yoho said. “We’re feeling good (about sales).”
The nonprofit sports foundation owns and operates the Duke’s Mayo Classic and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, college football games that bookend the season. Both are played at the NFL stadium.
ESPN’s Saturday morning pregame show, “College GameDay,” will air from uptown on Sept. 2.