Tobacco Road is a term used in college sports, mainly basketball, for the four rival universities of North Carolina that play in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).^[1] The term refers to the area's history as a major tobacco producer. The Tobacco Road teams represent the following universities:

• North Carolina Tar Heels (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill)
• Duke Blue Devils (Duke University in Durham)
• NC State Wolfpack (North Carolina State University in Raleigh)
• Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem)

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75km
50miles

UNC

Duke

NC State

Wake Forest

  

Locations of the four universities in North Carolina.

North Carolina, Duke, and NC State lie in the Research Triangle and are separated by no more than 25 miles (40 km). Before moving to Winston-Salem in 1956, Wake Forest University was located in the town of Wake Forest within the Triangle region, to the northeast of Raleigh. The schools are historical and present powerhouses among college sports, especially basketball. The universities' proximity and membership in the ACC, coupled with their reputation for academic prestige and as hubs for research and innovation, has created a natural rivalry among students, fans, and alumni.

Though the Tobacco Road rivalry predominantly relates to basketball, football between these programs is also competitive. As of the 2014 season, the four schools have combined to appear in 82 bowl games (Duke has 14, UNC has 33, NC State has 32, Wake has 13) and a 46–45–1 record in those games (Duke won 6, UNC won 14, NC State won 17, Wake won 9). They have also shared or won outright a combined 32 conference championships (20 ACC and 12 SoCon). As of the 2015 game, NC State is the only school out of the four to not appear in the ACC Championship Game since the ACC went to a divisional format in 2005. The format divided the four schools in which Wake Forest and NC State were put in the Atlantic Division, while Duke and UNC were put in the Coastal Division. Wake Forest and Duke are "permanent cross-division" rivals, meaning that they play every year regardless of division. The same can be said about UNC and NC State. The Wake–UNC game, as well as the Duke–NC State game, is played two of every twelve years, excluding additional matchups played as non-conference games. In football, the four schools have produced 5 players and no coaches in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They have also produced 15 players and 6 coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. The oldest of the football rivalries between the four schools belongs to the UNC-Wake rivalry, which dates back to October 10, 1888 and was the first intercollegiate football game in North Carolina.

† indicates tiebreakers are determined by who won head-to-head matchup. With no trophy, it is possible to split the title 3 or 4 ways

* Indicates years where not all contests were held

• The 2020 UNC-Wake Forest Game did not count as an ACC Conference Win

In baseball, the four schools won a combined 15 ACC Baseball Tournaments (UNC won 6, NC State and Wake won 4, Duke won 1). In the College World Series, Wake Forest held the only national championship of any ACC school while a member of the ACC in 1955 until Virginia won it in 2015. Other schools have national championships, but all came before joining the ACC, or since leaving the ACC in the case of South Carolina. Wake was the runner-up in 1949, while UNC was the runner-up in 2006 and 2007.

In men's soccer, the four schools have won a combined four national titles (UNC has 2, Wake has 1, Duke has 1), three NCAA runners-up (Duke with 2, UNC with 1), 11 ACC Tournament titles, and won or shared 7 ACC regular season titles. Women's soccer has produced much more success among the four schools. On the national level, they have combined for 21 national championships (UNC won all 21), six NCAA runners-up (UNC with 3, Duke with 2, NC State with 1). Tobacco Road teams have won 22 ACC tournaments since its inception in 1987. The years not won by a Tobacco Road team are 1987, 2004, 2011, 2012, and 2013. They have also won or shared 20 ACC regular season titles since 1987. UNC's 21 national titles in women's soccer are the most among Division 1 schools.

Only Duke and North Carolina currently compete in men's and women's lacrosse, though NC State had a program in the 1970s and 1980s. The current two Tobacco Road competitors have had a significant presence on the national stage, as the Blue Devils have won three national titles (2010, 2013, 2014), while the Tar Heels lay claim to five (1981, 1982, 1986, 1991, 2016).^[7] Duke and North Carolina have met 75 times, with UNC leading the rivalry 42–33 through 2020. However, Duke leads the ACC and NCAA postseason series by records of 9–4 and 4–0 respectively. For further information, see Duke–North Carolina lacrosse rivalry.

As of 2020, the four schools have combined to win 73 NCAA team national championships in both men's and women's sports.

• Duke–North Carolina rivalry
• North Carolina–NC State rivalry
• NC State–Wake Forest rivalry
• North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry