5. Virginia Tech at North Carolina
LINE: North Carolina -5
ATS PICK: Virginia Tech
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
If both teams are fully healthy, Virginia Tech wins.
It’s not the fun story that North Carolina is – Mack Brown’s comeback, the rise of Sam Howell, the talent that’s in place – but Virginia Tech is a rock-solid team that came achingly close to playing for the ACC title last season and is even better this year.
And now it gets QB Hendon Hooker back.
The Hokies are coming in cheap after not blowing out a bad Duke team – winning 38-31 last week – and getting those five points is a big deal.
Including this year – let’s just assume Syracuse won’t get there – the last time North Carolina beat a team that finished with a winning record by five points was in last year’s Military Bowl, rolling Temple 55-13. In the regular season, though, the last time it did that was …
November 5th, 2016, taking down Georgia Tech 48-20.
Even the battles against the mediocre have mostly been close over the years – last year’s team could’ve very, very easily have 3-9 instead of 7-6 – but winning close games is part of the deal, of course.
This year, the Tar Heels had to fight to get past Boston College 26-22, and the 31-6 win over Syracuse was a whole lot tighter than that – the Orange couldn’t block and were way, way off with the passing game.
You’re battling history here if you’re taking the Tar Heels – as well as a nasty Hokie team.