Tar Heels vs Cavaliers NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Virginia Cavaliers have both had confusing seasons this year.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Virginia Cavaliers
Scott Stadium
Thursday November 15, 7:30 PM EST on ESPN
College Football Betting Odds from 5Dimes
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: North Carolina -3 (-110) vs. Virginia +3 (-110) from BetOnline
Over/Under: 61
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Virginia was the last team in the nation to get an ATS win, but they have now won two straight. North Carolina was undefeated at home before giving up 68 points in a huge home loss to Georgia Tech last week. These two teams will square off Thursday night at Scott Stadium in Virginia.
North Carolina
Larry Fedora left Southern Miss after a brilliant season last year, and came to try to take the Tar Heels program to the next level.
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Fedora has brought an uptempo offense to North Carolina, and that has been largely successful. Bryn Renner is underrated by many, but he is a very good young quarterback for the Tar Heels. Renner has thrown for 2,736 yards this year. Giovanni Bernard has already topped the 1,000 yard mark in rushing. Bernard has 11 rushing touchdowns and four receiving touchdowns. Seven Tar Heels have at least ten receptions this season. North Carolina averages 40.5 points per game.
The Tar Heels defense has given up 136 points in the last three games. They dominated against weak opponents in the non-conference schedule, but the Tar Heels defense has been surprisingly bad during ACC action. The secondary has been torched all year, and the front seven hasn’t been good enough at pressuring the opposing quarterback in recent games. Injuries have slowed this group down some, but they have to improve. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Virginia
Mike London’s Virginia Cavaliers had a great season last year, but they have taken a step back so far this year. Virginia was 2-6 after the first eight games of the season, but they have bounced back with two big wins. Last week’s win was a stunning come from behind victory over Miami. Michael Rocco, who was benched earlier this year, threw four touchdown passes in that win. Rocco and Phillip Sims have been sharing time at the quarterback spot of late. For the season, Virginia is only averaging 24.6 points per game. The running game has been very disappointing this season. Look for Rocco to get most of the work at quarterback this week.
Virginia’s defense has kept them in most of their games this year. Opponents are gaining just 349 yards per game against the Cavaliers defense. One big problem for the Cavs has been special teams. Opposing teams have been able to take advantage of great field position far too often this year. Virginia has to do a better job on special teams.
Both of these offenses have looked good of late. On the other side, the defenses have been torched. Virginia should be able to air it out against the Tar Heels, and North Carolina should be able to pile up the points as well. Look for a high scoring game.
Free College Football Pick: Over 61
