The North Carolina Tar Heels (6-6) and Temple Owls (8-4) do battle at the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman Friday. Kickoff at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. is set for 12 p.m. ET. We analyze the North Carolina-Temple odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.
North Carolina vs. Temple: Three things you need to know
1. UNC has a fairly extensive bowl history dating back to the 1947 Sugar Bowl. The Tar Heels made four bowl appearances under head coach Mack Brown in his first tenure in Chapel Hill, going 3-1 from 1993-1997. The last time they faced an AAC team in a bowl game they dusted Cincinnati 39-17 at the Belk Bowl Dec. 28, 2013.
2. Temple will be appearing in its ninth-ever bowl game, posting a 3-5 straight-up record in its previous eight postseason showings. The Owls fell to Duke by a 56-27 score in the Independence Bowl last season. They spanked Florida International 28-3 in the Gasparilla Bowl the previous year, and this is the fifth straight year the Owls have appeared in a bowl, going 1-3 SU in the previous four.
3. Temple didn’t play in Annapolis this season, but it won at Navy by a 24-17 score Oct. 13, 2018, and the Owls have won and covered in each of their past two games at NMCMS, albeit vs. Navy. Still, they’re comfortable here.
College football season is almost over! Place your bets on this game, or others, at BetMGM now. Place your bets and win, win, win!
North Carolina vs. Temple: Odds, betting lines and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 2:45 p.m. ET.
Prediction
North Carolina 33, Temple 27
Moneyline (ML)
North Carolina (-200) was rolling offensively down the stretch, including a total of 97 in its final two games against FCS Mercer and rival North Carolina State. Still, a 2-to-1 investment on the moneyline isn’t a good idea. PASS and bet the spread instead.
Against the Spread (ATS)
NORTH CAROLINA (-4.5, -110) is in line for a cover. The Tar Heels have scored 27 or more points in four straight games, and in six of their past seven, and they’re rolling offensively. Defensively, they allowed just 17 points in the final two outings.
Temple (+4.5, -110) has had success in Annapolis before, yes, but the Owls haven’t faced a Power 5 team like UNC there before. The Owls were a lot more prolific offensively when they were at home. On the road, they averaged just 20.0 points per game in five games while posting 32.7 PPG in seven home contests.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 52.5 (-115) is a nice play in this one. The Over is 8-3 in UNC’s past 11 against winning teams, and 5-2 in Temple’s past seven showings at a neutral site.
Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1623]