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North Carolina hosts Notre Dame Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill. It's time to continue our college football odds series with a Notre Dame-North Carolina prediction and pick.
The Marcus Freeman era has not gotten off on the right foot for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame sits at (1-2) on the season but is coming off of their first win of the campaign against California 24-17. The team had high expectations as they found a way to stay in the game against No. 2 Ohio State to start off the season. However, they fell to Marshall in Week 2 which shocked the entire football world. Notre Dame needs to clean it up if they want to be competitive this season.
North Carolina is off to an undefeated start to the season at (3-0). They had a bye last week but took down Georgia State in the game prior. It's been an easy non-conference schedule for NC and overall they do have a favorable schedule. A win against Notre Dame could move NC up in the rankings as they could potentially be ranked if they play well.
Here are the Notre Dame-North Carolina college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Notre Dame-North Carolina Odds
Notre Dame: +1.5 (-105)
North Carolina: -1.5 (-115)
Over: 55.5 (-106)
Under: 55.5 (-114)
Why Notre Dame Could Cover The Spread
We all know the Irish offense is going to struggle. Notre Dame averages just 18.3 points per game right now. QB Tyler Buchner is not a talented thrower and as a result, has yet to throw a TD pass this season. Backup Drew Pine has all three of the team's passing TDs which provides controversy. It's unclear who Freeman and the offense will utilize out there on any given possession. Regardless, the run game must improve and be the focal point of the offense.
Audric Estime and Chris Tyree are the main duo at RB but they aren't having a great start to the season. Estime has just 130 yards and two touchdowns on the year and Tyree with just 109 yards off of 26 carries. Those two must have a huge game if they want to keep it close. The good news for the Irish is that the Tar Heels allow 37.7 points per game.
The defense is what will potentially win the game for the Irish. They do contain the better defensive core. NC averages 51.3 points per game and has really played well offensively. Howards Cross III, DJ Brown, Jack Kiser, and JD Bertrand all need to be on their game and lead the ND defense. They are the team's leading tacklers and will be facing an offense that scores at will. NC QB Drake Maye is just 70 yards shy of 1,000 on the year and already has 11 TD passes.
Why North Carolina Could Cover The Spread
As mentioned above, Maye will be a huge factor in this game. He is one of the top quarterbacks in the country right now as he is tied for first with his 11 TD passes. He's 15th in passing yards and his 89.5 QBR is 8th in the country. He is off to a phenomenal start to the 2022 campaign and has a lot of weapons at the receiver position. Six wideouts already have over 100 yards receiving on the season and remember, this team is coming off of a bye. All these stats are through just three games. NC was one of the teams that played in Week 0 and have had time to relax and stay fresh the last two weeks.
The deciding factor in this game will be the Notre Dame offense versus the North Carolina defense. Which unit will budge? ND averages just 18 points per game but the Tar Heels allow 37.7 points. We all know the ND defense will show up and we all know the NC offense will show up. That will be exciting to watch. However, on the flip side, the winner of this game will have to control the game between the Irish offense and the Tar Heels' defense. Can the Irish get going and find their groove against a favorable defense? Or will the Tar Heels shut them down once again and put Freeman in a huge hole with a (1-3) record?
Final Notre Dame-North Carolina Prediction & Pick
This is not an easy pick to make and it's tough for Freeman to come into Chapel Hill and win with a poor offense. However, this will be NC's toughest opponent yet but they should get it done. Take North Carolina to cover this small spread at home. The under at 55.5 is also a great call as I expect it to be a low-scoring affair.
Final Notre Dame-North Carolina Prediction & Pick: North Carolina -1.5 (-115); Under 55.5 (-114)
