N.C. State vs. North Carolina Prediction
No. 23 N.C. State visits No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET when the rivals clash in ACC play on ESPN. Is 14.5 points too many to lay with the host Tar Heels?
Game Snapshot
321 N.C. State Wolfpack (+14.5) at 322 North Carolina Tar Heels (-14.5); o/u 60
Kenan Stadium, Capel Hill, NC
12:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, October 24, 2020
N.C. State Wolfpack Game Notes
Per an official announcement from the school, North Carolina State sophomore QB Devin Leary had surgery to repair a broken fibula and will be out 4-8 weeks. Leary had been playing relatively well to open the season, too. Though his accuracy can be a bit scattershot, Leary has done well to find big plays down the field and give the offense enough juice to keep up with other ACC squads. Unfortunately, missing 4-8 weeks could mean Leary is out for the rest of the year in a worst-case scenario. Best case, he only misses three games, as the Wolfpack have a bye week on Halloween weekend. Bailey Hockman should be the first in line to take over in favor of Leary, just as he did on Saturday when Leary went down.
North Carolina Tar Heels Game Notes
North Carolina fell nine spots to 14th in the AP Top-25 poll following their upset loss to Florida State. Nine spots is quite the tumble, but with as weak as Florida State looked heading into the game, it is more than warranted. UNC had entered the game with three solid wins over Syracuse, Boston College, and a ranked Virginia Tech squad, so it isn’t as though their status heading into the game was all that fraudulent, either. The Tar Heels offense just could not quite operate the way they usually do, while the Florida State offense looked as good as it has versus any FBS opponent this season. Next week’s rivalry game against North Carolina State is a good chance for UNC to start clawing back to the top ten.
N.C. State vs. North Carolina Betting Prediction
The Wolfpack are 1-4 against the spread in their last five games versus the Tar Heels and are just 2-8 in their last 10 road games as well. N.C. State has failed to cover in seven of its last road games when listed as an underdog, is 2-7 at the betting window in its last nine games when facing an opponent with a winning record and is 3-9 against the number in its last 12 games as an underdog of any kind. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games despite failing to cover last week on the road versus FSU. They’re also 24-7 against the number in their last 31 home games when facing an opponent with a winning road record and have covered in four of their last five opportunities when coming off a loss.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 8 BETTING PREDICTION: NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS -14.5
