The North Carolina Tar Heels (6-6) meet the South Carolina Gamecocks (6-6) Thursday at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET. Below, we look at the North Carolina vs. South Carolina odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
The good news for the Tar Heels is that QB Sam Howell intends to start this game. He passed for 2,851 yards, 23 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while running for 825 yards and 11 scores on the ground.
North Carolina suffered a 34-30 loss in the regular-season finale against NC State in Raleigh, N.C., and it has alternated losses and wins across each of its last 10 games. UNC is also just 2-5 ATS across its last seven games overall.
South Carolina had mass defections after the season, including starting QB Jason Brown, who hit the transfer portal. Untested QB Zeb Noland, who had just 597 passing yards this season, will get the starting nod.
Leading rusher RB ZaQuandre White, who had 583 rushing yards and 6.6 yards per attempt, left early for the 2022 NFL Draft, as did DE Kingsley Enagbare, who led the team with 4.5 sacks.
Rankings courtesy of the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
North Carolina vs. South Carolina odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.
- Money line: North Carolina -370 (bet $370 to win $100) | South Carolina +280 (bet $100 to win $280)
- Against the spread (ATS): North Carolina -9.5 (-115) | South Carolina +9.5 (-107)
- Over/Under (O/U): 57.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
North Carolina vs. South Carolina odds, lines, picks and predictions
Get some action on this matchup at Tipico Sportsbook, a trusted, global sports-betting leader and Sportsbook Wire’s official betting partner.
Place your legal, online sports bets in CO and NJ at Tipico now. IA, Tipico is coming to your state soon! New customer offer: Deposit $10 or more, get $100 in instant bet credits! 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Bet now!
Prediction
North Carolina 36, South Carolina 18
Money line
While I expect North Carolina (-370) to win this one in rather handy fashion, you can’t risk more than three and a half times your potential return on a .500 team.
PASS, and look to the spread.
Against the spread
The best play here is NORTH CAROLINA -9.5 (-115), despite the fact the Tar Heels have had issues in bowl games in the past. UNC has the best player on the field in Howell, and he won’t have to contend with Enagbare trying to track him down.
While the Tar Heels had some offensive line issues this season, and Howell was forced to run for his life at times, they should be able to handle the shorthanded Gamecocks with aplomb. Both Howell and RB Ty Chandler should fare well against a South Carolina rush defense which yielded 179.2 yards per game to rank 99th in the nation.
Over/Under
The UNDER 57.5 (-107) can be a dangerous play in North Carolina games as it can score plenty of points and can allow plenty of points. However, South Carolina is a shell of itself, playing with an unproven signal caller, while soldiering on without its top running back and pass rusher. The Gamecocks are going to have a hard time lighting up the scoreboard.
Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO, NJ and, soon, IA. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter and SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / USC / Wisconsin / College Football News
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]