North Carolina enters this game as one of the last undefeated teams in college football. Last week, they traveled to Miami to take on the then-ranked #25 Miami Hurricanes. In this top 25 showdown, starting quarterback and projected first-round draft pick Drake Maye was phenomenal. He threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns and led the Tar Heels to a 21-0 third-quarter run to land them firmly in the driver's seat for the game. Led by this Heisman candidate, North Carolina is the hottest they've been since 2020. We have you covered with our college football odds series with a Virginia–North Carolina prediction and pick.

On the other hand, the Virginia Cavaliers are struggling this season. They are 1-5 and have not had a single road win. However, they enter this game with some momentum. They just picked up their first win on the season against William & Mary on October 7th and are fresh off of a bye week. The confidence-boosting win and much-needed rest could propel the Cavaliers to compete with North Carolina on Saturday.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Virginia-North Carolina Odds

Virginia: +23.5 (-110)

North Carolina: -23.5 (-110)

Over: 56.5 (-115)

Under: 56.5 (-105)

How to Watch Virginia vs. North Carolina Week 8

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

TV: CW Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Virginia Will Cover The Spread

At a 1-5 record on the season, not much has gone Virginia's way. However, they have had a respectable pass defense, allowing them to be competitive in four of their last five games. They are 1-3 in these four games, but in each of the three losses, they lost by three points or fewer. The Cavaliers have been able to hang around with these teams because they limited the opportunities of opposing quarterbacks. Across these games, the Cavaliers' defense has allowed an average of only 165.8 yards passing and forced three interceptions. Drake Maye is miles ahead of the quarterbacks Virginia has faced, but with how this secondary has been playing recently, they have the momentum to shut him down.

In a game projected to be a blowout like this, Virginia has to take advantage of the Tar Heels any way they can. This means they have to expose the weaknesses of North Carolina's discipline. The Tar Heels are giving up an average of 64 penalty yards per game and are coming off of their worst week yet. In last week's win over Miami, North Carolina gave up 147 yards on 14 penalties to the Hurricanes. This allowed Miami to move the ball down the field easily, and if North Carolina doesn't fix this problem, Virginia will do the same.

Why North Carolina Will Cover The Spread

Drake Maye has been incredible all season long. He has the sixth-best odds to win the Heisman, is leading the ACC in passing yards with 1,902, and has a passer rating of 159.1. However, he has been able to do this from weeks one through six without the best wide receiver on the team. Devontez Walker was cleared to play by the NCAA two weeks ago, and in the two weeks he has played, he has showcased why the Tar Heels wanted this transfer so badly. Last week against Miami, the Maye-to-Walker connection was the highlight of the game. Walker finished the outing with six catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns. With the potential to end the season as the best duo in college football, these two will be ready to tear apart Virginia's secondary to compensate for the time Walker spent on the sidelines this season.

The Tar Heels possess one of the best passing attacks in college football and have one of the more underrated backfields led by Omarion Hampton. Hampton ranks second in the ACC in total rushing yards with 658 on 5.9 yards per carry. This includes two games where he has rushed for 195 yards or more. Additionally, he is tied for second in the ACC for total rushing touchdowns with eight. This weekend, he is going against a Virginia run defense that has allowed the 23rd most rushing yards per game in the country. While all eyes will be on Drake Maye and the passing game, expect Hampton to have another massive day on the ground against the Cavaliers.

What separates North Carolina from the pack is their efficiency in third-down scenarios. On 92 third-down plays this season, the Tar Heels have converted at an incredible 53.3% rate. To cover a spread this large, North Carolina has to keep drives alive and move the ball downfield effectively, and with their performance on third down this season, they should do exactly that.

Final Virginia-North Carolina Prediction & Pick

When these teams played each other last season, the spread was set at seven points in North Carolina's favor and wound up being a pretty close game, with the Tar Heels winning by just three. Oddsmakers are expecting this outing to be quite different. Drake Maye has developed exponentially, and Mack Brown has tightened this defense. Although they had a scare against Appalachian State in week two, this team is worthy of its number ten ranking. At home against a 1-5 Cavaliers team who has struggled in a big way all season long has me leaning towards laying the hefty spread on the Tar Heels. I will be taking North Carolina at -23.5.

Final Virginia-North Carolina Prediction & Pick: North Carolina -23.5 (-110)