OK, we've had enough speculation about the future of college football and the state of the ACC.

• It's time to actually play some games. N.C. State and Duke kicked their seasons off last night.

Why it matters: For better or for worse, the eyes of the college football world will be turned to Chapel Hill on Monday, as legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick leads the Tar Heels for the first time against TCU.

• But Belichick is one of just several interesting story lines bubbling up in the Triangle this season.

Here's what we're watching:

🐺 NC State beat ECU 24-17

• Dave Doeren's 13th season in charge of the Wolfpack starts off by avenging last year's loss to the Pirates in the Military Bowl. But after last year's team failed to reach the potential many saw in it, Doeren's squad faces many questions. The Wolfpack are predicted to finish 10th in the ACC.
• A lot will be riding on the shoulders of CJ Bailey, a highly touted sophomore the Wolfpack were able to keep other teams from recruiting away. On Thursday, he threw for over 300 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

😈 Duke pulls away from Elon 45-17

• The Blue Devils are predicted to finish 6th in the ACC in large part because of the strides they took last year, when they won nine games.
• All eyes are on Darian Mensah, the Tulane star quarterback they got to transfer with an NIL deal worth a reported $8 million over two years. In his debut, Mensah had 389 yards passing and three touchdowns.

🐏 UNC hosts TCU at 8pm Monday (ESPN)

• The Tar Heels — predicted to finish 8th in the ACC — have spent huge sums of money to bring in Belichick, his pick of assistants and an entirely new team of transfers, including new starting quarterback Gio Lopez.
• And yet, they enter the game 3.5-point underdogs against the Horned Frogs. The result of this game will go a long way to showing us what type of team the Tar Heels could be and how quickly Belichick can turn turnaround a defense that seemingly couldn't stop anyone last year.

Other games happening around North Carolina this weekend:

• 🎩 Wake Forest vs. Kennesaw State at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium (Winston-Salem) at 7pm today. ACC Network.
• ⛰️ App State vs. UNC Charlotte at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte at 7pm today. ESPNU.
• 🦅 N.C. Central vs. New Hampshire at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (Durham) on Saturday at 6pm. ESPN+.
• 🔵 N.C. A&T vs. Tennessee State at Nissan Stadium (Nashville) on Saturday at 4:30pm. ESPN+.

North Carolina will soon be home to seven of the acclaimed Danish artist Thomas Dambo's troll statues.

• Five of them, specifically, will be making their final homes in Dix Park, when construction starts on them in October.

Why it matters: The seven trolls — all made of recycled wood and some reaching more than 10 feet tall — will join a network of more than 150 troll statues that Dambo has now built across five continents.

Zoom in: In addition to Dix Park, which is investing heavily in public art and immersive structures, the two other troll statues will be built in Charlotte and High Point.

Between the lines: The exact locations within Dix Park, High Point and Charlotte will remain secret until they are unveiled on Dambo's map.

• "The joy is in the discovery," Dambo said in a statement. "The trolls are shy creatures. They like to be found, not announced."

The Dix Park Conservancy will host local volunteers to help build the trolls in the park. Learn more here.

🎬 Downtown Durham will get a new arthouse theater called Skin and Bones Theater at 118 W. Parrish St. (INDY Week)

🧇 Dame's Chicken & Waffles is moving its downtown Durham restaurant location to 471 S. Driver St. in East Durham. (Triangle Business Journal 🔒)

🎓 Warren Wilson College, outside of Asheville, is still struggling financially after suffering damage during Hurricane Helene. (WUNC)

• But unlike other private colleges in the area, like Montreat and Lees-McRae, the N.C. General Assembly did not allocate any recovery funds to it.

🛒 Publix opened its new northeast Raleigh store this week. Find the 47,000-square-foot store at 7330 Buffaloe Road, in the Buffaloe Bend Shopping Center.

The weather is glorious, and Labor Day awaits us all this weekend.

• Sounds to us like the perfect time to get out and explore.

Here's what's happening around the Triangle this weekend:

🎸 Listen to music at Gipson Play Plaza in Dix Park, when the Summer Block Party music festival takes over the park on Saturday.

🎇 Watch some baseball and fireworks at the Durham Bulls stadium on Friday and Saturday.

⚾️ Or cheer on the Carolina Mudcats at their final home stand in Zebulon before they move to Wilson next season.

🌆 Head downtown for the African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County, which takes place on Fayetteville Street on Saturday and Sunday.

🦈 Take in the movie "Jaws" on the biggest screen possible all weekend at Marbles' IMAX theater in downtown Raleigh.

🥐 Try Lutra Bakery's pop-up brunch at Cheeni in downtown Durham this weekend before they open their own space.

⚽️ Sit in the supporters section as North Carolina FC hosts Hartford Athletic in Cary on Saturday.

🤘 Shop for unique vintage goods at the Punk Flea Market at the Durham Armory on Sunday.

🇺🇸 Celebrate the glories of the Paw Paw, the largest tree fruit native to the U.S., at Paw Paw Palooza in Pittsboro on Sunday.