Pittsburgh Panthers vs North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Pick & Prediction 10/5/24
ESPN will be covering this week six college football matchup between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the North Carolina Tar Heels, set to kick off at 12:00 ET from Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill. The Panthers are 4-0 this season, and the Tar Heels come in with a 3-2 record. Pittsburgh is favored by -3 points on the road, and the over/under line is currently at 64.5 points.
PITTSBURGH PANTHERS VS NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS BETTING PICK
The Pick: North Carolina Tar Heels +3
This game will be played at Kenan Memorial Stadium at 12:00 ET on Saturday, October 5th.
WHY BET THE NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS:
- We have the North Carolina Tar Heels winning this one by a score of 33 to 28
- Not only do we have the North Carolina Tar Heels winning straight-up, we have them covering the spread at +3
- We see this game finishing below the line of 64.5 points
Will The Pittsburgh Panthers Pick Up A Win On The Road?
Pittsburgh heads into Week 6 against North Carolina with a perfect 4-0 record. They are ranked 39th in our CFB power rankings, and we give them a 96.2% chance of becoming bowl-eligible. So far, they are 2-0 on the road and 2-0 at home this season.
The Panthers have a +23 average scoring margin and are 3-0 against the spread. They’ve been favored in just one game this season, and their over/under record is 2-1, with their games averaging 74 points. This week’s line is set at 64.5 points, higher than their average line of 59.8 points.
Pittsburgh is 1-0 as the favorite and 2-0 as the underdog this season. They’ve covered the spread in all three games, going 1-0 ATS as the favorite and 2-0 ATS as the underdog.
Heading into week 6, Pittsburgh’s offense is 4th in points per game, scoring 48.5 per contest. They are ranked 29th in our offensive power rankings. Quarterback Eli Holstein has thrown for 1,186 yards with a passer rating of 121. He has completed 67.4% of his passes, throwing 12 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Pittsburgh is 23rd in passing yards per game, averaging 330.2 yards, and 22nd in completion percentage at 66.9%. They are 27th in passing completions, with 24.8 per game, and 37th in attempts. On third downs, they convert 44.2% of their chances. Desmond Reid leads the rushing attack with 319 yards, averaging 7 yards per carry.
Heading into their matchup against North Carolina, Pittsburgh’s defense is ranked 39th nationally, allowing 25.5 points per game. They’ve given up 231.8 passing yards per game, ranking 108th, and 115.2 rushing yards per game, which is 41st in the country.
In their recent game against Youngstown State, Pittsburgh’s defense allowed 17 points, while giving up 327 total yards. They held Youngstown State to 89 rushing yards on 36 attempts and forced two interceptions.
Will The North Carolina Tar Heels Win At Home Over The Pittsburgh Panthers?
North Carolina enters Week 6 with a 3-2 record, facing Pittsburgh at home. The Tar Heels are ranked 61st in our power rankings and have a 75.6% chance of becoming bowl-eligible. However, their odds of winning the Atlantic Coast stand at just 0.3%.
North Carolina has been favored in four of their five games this season, going 2-2 as the favorite. Their average scoring margin is +6.8 points, but they are 0-3-1 against the spread.
The over/under line for this week is 64.5 points, higher than any of their previous games. North Carolina’s over/under record is 2-2, with their games averaging 62 points and an average line of 51 points.
North Carolina’s offense is centered around their run game, ranking 11th in rushing attempts and averaging 208.6 yards per game on the ground. Omarion Hampton has been the standout performer, rushing for 658 yards and scoring six touchdowns, with an average of 5 yards per carry. The Tar Heels are averaging 34.4 points per game, placing them 32nd in the nation.
Jacolby Criswell leads the passing attack with 889 yards and six touchdowns, but he has also thrown three interceptions and has a passer rating of 90. North Carolina ranks 25th in passing attempts, averaging 247 yards per game. J.J. Jones has 264 receiving yards and one touchdown this season. Heading into week 6, North Carolina is ranked 67th in our offensive power rankings.
North Carolina’s defense allowed 21 points in their recent 21-20 loss to Duke, giving up 396 total yards. They allowed 187 rushing yards on 40 carries and 209 yards through the air, with one passing touchdown.
On the season, the Tar Heels rank 64th nationally, allowing 27.6 points per game. Opponents are averaging 123 rushing yards per game and 232.4 passing yards, with a 90.1 passer rating and a 53.7% completion rate, which ranks 25th in the country.