The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-2, 3-2 ACC) and North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2, 5-2) meet in Kenan Memorial Stadium for a 12 p.m. ET kickoff, Saturday. Below, we analyze the Wake Forest-North Carolina college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Wake Forest at North Carolina: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Wake Forest +350 (bet $100 to win $350) | North Carolina (bet $477 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Wake Forest +13.5 (-106) | North Carolina -13.5 (-115)
- Over/Under: 66.5 (O: -106 | U: -115)
Wake Forest at North Carolina: Three things to know
- Wake Forest storms into this one on a 4-0 SU/ATS run, posting an average of 41.8 PPG with wins over FCS Campbell, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Syracuse during the impressive stretch. However, a road game against previously-ranked UNC provides its biggest challenge yet.
- The Demon Deacons have had a balanced attack, ranking 50th in total yards (421.0), 51st in passing yards (245.5) and 50th in rushing yards (175.5) per game. They’re also impressive with a 95.2 red zone scoring percentage.
- The Tar Heels haven’t been as careful with the ball, turning it over eight times with a plus-1 turnover ratio, and that includes a plus-4 in their rivalry game against N.C. State. Take that out, and the Tar Heels have had a lot of miscues in their other six outings. And unlike Wake Forest, UNC has struggled in red zone offense at just 85.2 percent.
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Wake Forest at North Carolina: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
North Carolina 38, Wake Forest 31
Money line (ML)
North Carolina (-477) will cost you nearly five times your potential return, and that’s dangerous against a Wake Forest (+350) side which enters on a roll. The Deacons are scoring plenty of points, and the Tar Heels have been very mediocre lately. AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
WAKE FOREST +13.5 (-106) is a pick that is against the grain in terms of series trends. The Deacs are 0-4 ATS in the past four trips to North Carolina -13.5 (-115), and the home team is 6-0 ATS in the past six meetings. But these are unprecedented times, and we won’t have Carolina blue-clad fans spurring on the home side, so this will play more like a neutral-site game. That will help Wake in a place they generally haven’t been very good over the years.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 66.5 (-106) is a series trend you can trust here. The Over is 4-0 in the previous four meetings in North Carolina, and it will happen again. Wake Forest is posting 37.0 PPG overall this season, and UNC is good for 40.9 PPG overall while averaging 45.0 PPG in three games at Kenan.
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