The season opens for the Syracuse Orange and the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., with a noon ET kickoff Saturday. We analyze the Syracuse-North Carolina college football betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
The Tar Heels are ranked 19th in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Syracuse at North Carolina: Betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 1:15 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: North Carolina -1250 | Syracuse +750
- Against the spread/ATS: North Carolina -23.5 (-110) | Syracuse +23.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 65.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Syracuse at North Carolina: Three things to know
- Syracuse saw RBs Abdul Adams and Jarveon Howard each opt out due to COVID-19, so the running back chores likely fall to RBs Jawhar Jordan and Markenzy Pierre. Jordan and Pierre combined for just 20 attempts, 111 rushing yards and one score in 2019.
- Four UNC players – S D.J. Ford, OT Triston Miller, DB Javon Terry and CB Bryce Watts each elected to opt out for the 2020 season. Ford, Terry and Watts were important pieces to the secondary.
- UNC ranked 14th in the country in total yards last season, posting 469.0 per game, while racking up 285.0 passing yards per game to check in 25th. It was 79th against the pass, allowing 232.6 yards per game, and losing three secondary members. who opted out, won’t help matters much.
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Syracuse at North Carolina: Odds, betting lines and picks
Prediction
North Carolina 40, Syracuse 24
Moneyline (ML)
North Carolina (-1250) is an overwhelming favorite. If you’ve read my past columns, you know I won’t bet a moneyline higher than -180. This line is just crazy. AVOID, as a $10 bet on UNC to win would return just $0.80.
Against the Spread (ATS)
SYRACUSE +23.5 (-110) will likely lean upon QB Tommy DeVito early and often, especially its top two running backs on the shelf. UNC had problems stopping the pass last season, and it doesn’t have a ton of depth at the position this season due to several opt outs. The Heels still win, but the Orange keep it close.
Over/Under (O/U)
The UNDER 65.5 (-110) is the way to go here, as both offenses should be a little sluggish out of the gate in their initial outings of the season. The scoring will pick up as we go along, as Syracuse was horrific defensively last season. It allowed 464.1 total yards per game to rank 115th in the nation, while allowing 262.5 yards through the air to finish 110th. It also allowed 201.6 yards per game on the ground to finish 107th. The Under will hang on, but not without adding some knots in your stomach.
Also see:
- CFN – The latest college football coverage
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