Charles Langston:ESPN's College Gameday will open 2023 college football season at battle of Carolinas

The Charles LangstonCollege Football season is slowly creeping toward Week 1 which means the return of ESPN's College Gameday.

On Monday, the popular show announced its venue to kick off the season – Charlotte, North Carolina, for the battle of the Carolinas on Saturday, Sept. 2.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and North Carolina Tar Heels will face off at Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. The two teams last faced off in the 2021 Duke's Mayo Bowl with South Carolina winning 38-21.

It is the first College Gameday visit for a South Carolina-North Carolina game. The Tar Heels haven't appeared on College Gameday since 2010, while the Gamecocks most recently appeared in 2014.

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North Carolina finished 9-5 last season, losing four consecutive games to end the season, including the Holiday Bowl. However, the Tar Heels return Heisman contending quarterback Drake Maye. He threw for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns in 2022.

South Carolina had an 8-5 record last season but closed out the regular season with consecutive wins against No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson. The Gamecocks return starting quarterback Spencer Rattler who threw 10 of his 18 touchdowns in the final three games of the season.