| Date | Opponent | Ranking | Location | Result | Attendence | Time | Length | Event | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/6/1986 | East Carolina * | Carter-Finley Stadium - Raleigh, NC | W, 38 - 10 | 58,650 | 7 PM | 60 min. | |||
| 9/13/1986 | Pittsburgh * | Carter-Finley Stadium - Raleigh, NC | T, 14 - 14 | 47,200 | 7 PM | 60 min. | |||
| 9/20/1986 | Wake Forest | Carter-Finley Stadium - Raleigh, NC | W, 42 - 38 | 37,400 | 12:15 PM | 60 min. | |||
| 9/27/1986 | at Maryland (AP: 13, Coaches': 14) | Byrd Stadium - College Park, MD | W, 28 - 16 | 44,920 | 7 PM | 60 min. | |||
| 10/11/1986 | at Georgia Tech | AP: 17, Coaches': 18 | Grant Field - Atlanta, GA | L, 21 - 59 | 24,110 | 12:15 PM | 60 min. | ||
| 10/18/1986 | at North Carolina (AP: 18, Coaches': 18) | Kenan Memorial Stadium - Chapel Hill, NC | W, 35 - 34 | 51,550 | 12:15 PM | 60 min. | |||
| 10/25/1986 | Clemson (AP: 16, Coaches': 16) | AP: 20, Coaches': 19 | Carter-Finley Stadium - Raleigh, NC | W, 27 - 3 | 51,300 | 3:30 PM | 60 min. | ||
| 11/1/1986 | South Carolina * | AP: 16, Coaches': 16 | Carter-Finley Stadium - Raleigh, NC | W, 23 - 22 | 50,230 | 12:15 PM | 60 min. | ||
| 11/8/1986 | at Virginia | AP: 15, Coaches': 14 | Scott Stadium - Charlottesville, VA | L, 16 - 20 | 30,500 | 12:15 PM | 60 min. | ||
| 11/15/1986 | Duke | Carter-Finley Stadium - Raleigh, NC | W, 29 - 15 | 41,800 | 12:15 PM | 60 min. | Homecoming | ||
| 11/22/1986 | Western Carolina * | Coaches': 19 | Carter-Finley Stadium - Raleigh, NC | W, 31 - 18 | 39,200 | 12:15 PM | 60 min. | ||
| 12/31/1986 | vs Virginia Tech (Coaches': 20) * | AP: 18 | Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium - Atlanta, GA (N) | L, 24 - 25 | 53,668 | 1 PM | 60 min. | Peach Bowl |
* Non-conference games
Last updated: 10/22/2023