The No. 24 NC State Wolfpack (7-4, 3-4 ACC) meet the No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels (9-2, 6-1) Friday at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the NC State vs. North Carolina odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
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The Wolfpack won 7 of the first 9 games despite the fact it lost ACC preseason player of the year QB Devin Leary to a season-ending injury in the FSU game on Oct. 8. After a narrow escape against Virginia Tech (22-21), and a decent win over Wake Forest (30-21), the Pack have dropped back-to-back games against Boston College (21-20) and Louisville (25-10).
Last week’s 15-point loss against the Cardinals tied for the worst setback of the season. NC State is 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS on the road this season.
The Tar Heels wrapped up the ACC Coastal Division prior to last week’s game. It suffered a 21-17 loss at home against Georgia Tech, failing as a 22-point favorite in 1 of the biggest upsets of the season. UNC is just 2-3 ATS in the last 5 outings, while the Under is 3-0 in the last 3.
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NC State at North Carolina odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 1:48 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): NC State +190 (bet $100 to win $190) | North Carolina -240 (bet $240 to win $100)
- Against the spread: NC State +6 (-110) | North Carolina -6 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 56.5 (O: -102 | U: -118)
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NC State at North Carolina picks and predictions
Prediction
North Carolina 33, NC State 23
Moneyline
North Carolina will cost you nearly 2 1/2 times your potential return, and prior to last week that would’ve looked like a slam-dunk play. However, this is a team which was a 22-point favorite losing straight up at home.
The thinking here is that the Heels bounce back against a beaten-up Wolfpack team, but this is also a rivalry game so anything can happen.
AVOID.
Against the spread
NORTH CAROLINA -6 (-110) is a strong play as long as this stays below a flat 7.
UNC had a stinging loss against the Yellow Jackets last week, pun totally intended, and it lost any remote chance of a possible College Football Playoff spot. But it’s still all on the table for the Heels, as they can dump their rivals, and still win the ACC Championship. UNC should be re-focused and ready to roll the Pack.
Over/Under
Play UNDER 56.5 (-118), even though that’s usually risky behavior in a UNC game.
This is a North Carolina offense which racks up 38.0 PPG to rank 13th in the nation, while posting 492.7 total yards per game to rank 8th, and 328.9 passing yards per game to rank 6th. And as impressive as the offense is, the defense has been poor. However, the Under is 3-0 in the last 3 for UNC, as the offense hasn’t been hitting on all cylinders.
The Under is 4-2 in the last 6 games overall for NC State, too, and 3-1 in 4 games on the road. It won’t be a defensive slog, but toss in the fact rain showers are in the forecast, too, and it should be a sloppy, slow track for this rivalry game.
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