UNC playing South Carolina in the opening game of the season has become a common occurrence in recent years. Like they will this year, in 2015, the two teams met at a neutral site in Charlotte. There is already another one on the schedule for 2023 as well. Beyond that, there was a game in Columbia on a Thursday night to start the 2013 season.
It’s also not a new thing either. As written last week, Mack Brown’s first ever game at UNC was against the Gamecocks. In total, UNC and South Carolina have met six times to open seasons.