The Pittsburgh Panthers take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Check out our college football odds series for our Pittsburgh North Carolina prediction and pick.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have authored a very improbable story thus far in 2022. In 2021, North Carolina was the clear preseason choice to win the ACC Coastal Division. Sam Howell was coming back at quarterback with a lot of established wide receivers. The UNC offense was expected to be a force and take over the division, setting up a meeting with Clemson for the ACC championship. It was supposed to be North Carolina's time, the Tar Heels' big opportunity to make a national statement and rise to the top tier of the ACC. Yet, it never came together for the Tar Heels, who posted a 6-6 regular season and then lost to South Carolina in their bowl game. The season was both a disaster and a humiliation, and it seemed the window for winning a division title had passed for coach Mack Brown. Mario Cristobal was coming to Miami, Pittsburgh had a fair number of players coming back from last year's ACC championship team, and Virginia had Brennan Armstrong coming back after a record-setting 2021 as the Cavaliers' quarterback. North Carolina was not at the forefront of any ACC championship discussion when this season began.

Now, in late October, North Carolina might be the Coastal favorite. Drake Maye has been a great quarterback for the Tar Heels this season, making huge clutch plays such as his late touchdown to beat Duke. The Tar Heels won a shootout at Appalachian State early in the year and have maintained a knack for winning close games with their offense. They're getting enough defense to pass various tests, such as a road win at Miami, and they're in the Coastal catbird seat.

For Pittsburgh, the reality is dramatically different. Pittsburgh was supposed to be a frontline contender for the Coastal title after winning the division and the ACC championship last year. The Panthers had a number of pieces coming back from the 2021 team, which made a New Year's Six bowl and raised the bar for the Panthers as a program. However, this season has spun off the rails. Quarterback Kedon Slovis, a transfer, has not been able to give the Panthers the offensive production they needed. The offensive line hasn't been particularly impressive. The loss of receiver Jordan Addison, who transferred to USC, has been huge in a very negative way for the Panthers, who recently lost to Louisville and Georgia Tech and are struggling against relatively mediocre opposition. The season has been a nightmare for coach Pat Narduzzi, who has to face serious questions about his stewardship of the program and the kind of offensive style he needs to succeed on a consistent annual basis.

Here are the Pittsburgh-North Carolina NCAA Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Pittsburgh-North Carolina Odds

Pittsburgh Panthers: +3 (-110)

North Carolina Tar Heels: -3 (-110)

Over: 65.5 (-110)

Under: 65.5 (-110)

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Why Pittsburgh Could Cover the Spread

The Panthers have underachieved this season, so if they are going to author a turnaround and salvage this 2022 campaign, this game means everything to them. They have to win this game if they want any chance of being a factor in November. They're going to empty the tank and potentially ambush a North Carolina team which might be overvalued due to its very close wins in games which could have gone either way this year.

Why North Carolina Could Cover the Spread

Drake Maye is the quarterback North Carolina has been looking for. He has made the clutch plays Sam Howell often failed to make last year. North Carolina has the far better offense in this game. Playing at home, UNC should be able to perform comfortably and smoothly, establishing a rhythm and not letting Pittsburgh's defense settle into this game.

Final Pittsburgh-North Carolina Prediction & Pick

Drake Maye is the clear difference-maker in this game. Carolina has an obvious edge over Pitt, and it will show up in the final score.

Final Pittsburgh-North Carolina Prediction & Pick: North Carolina -3