Free NCAA Football Prediction: Blue Devils vs. Tar Heels Odds
Looking for Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels free picks? College football betting sees the Blue Devils taking on the Tar Heels on Saturday, October 2nd at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game Week 5 predictions like this Blue Devils Tar Heels free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 5
(3-1) Duke Blue Devils vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (2-2)
Date: Saturday, October 2nd, 2021
Time: 12:00 pm EST
Venue: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: Blue Devils +19.5, Tar Heels -19.5
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Blue Devils +650, Tar Heels -1000
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 72.5
The Duke Blue Devils will travel south and take on the North Carolina Tar Heels for the Victory Bell at Kenan Stadium this weekend. UNC enters off of a big loss to Georgia Tech, while Duke comes in off of a big win over Kansas.
HISTORY: The Tobacco Road Rivalry runs deep on both the court and the field. UNC leads the all-time series 60-40-4, and they’ve won the last two matchups.
Duke Blue Devils
Duke opened the season with an upset loss to the in-state Charlotte 49ers, but they’ve responded with three straight road wins. They defeated Kansas last Saturday after trailing at halftime, 52-33.
Grant Holmberg is coming off of the best game of his career against the Jayhawks. The redshirt senior went 22-29 for 328 passing yards with a touchdown, while adding 88 yards and four scores on the ground. He’ll have to bring his A-game to keep up with Sam Howell on the road this weekend.
Mataeo Durant continued his dynamic stretch to start the season. He ran for 124 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown run in the win over Kansas. The senior back is fifth in the country with 522 rushing yards and he’s added 168 receiving yards. Jordan Waters has added 167 yards on 25 carries.
Jake Bobo and Jalon Calhoun have been Holmberg’s favorites targets. Bobo has been one of the most consistent wideouts in the country, catching seven passes in each of the first four games, and ranking third in the ACC with 392 receiving yards. Calhoun has caught 19 passes for 222 yards.
Duke had a tough time with Kansas in the first half last week, but they responded by forcing a pair of turnovers in the second and outscoring KU 31-9.
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels have dropped their first two ACC games after falling to Georgia Tech last weekend, 45-22. The Tar Heels trailed at the break and could not recover on the road, losing by 23 after being favored by 14.
Sam Howell had a rough time in Atlanta last weekend. The star quarterback went 25-309 for 306 yards and two scores, but he was sacked eight times and failed to make an impact on the ground after rushing for 100 yards in the previous two games. He’ll look to get back on track against Duke after torching them for over 400 yards last season.
Ty Chandler is doing his best to replace to voids at running back left by Javonte Williams and Michael Carter. The Tennessee transfer had a huge game against UVA, rushing for a career-high 198 yards and two touchdowns.
Josh Downs is enjoying a terrific season thus far. The sophomore wideout leads the team with 33 catches for 461 yards and he’s scored in each of UNC’s first four games. Junior wideout Emery Simmons caught three passes for 110 yards in the loss to GT.
The Tar Heels were gashed for 261 yards on the ground versus the Yellow Jackets this weekend, raising questions as to how well they can stop the Blue Devils run game.
Free Week 5 NCAA Football Pick
It’s certainly been a shaky start for UNC, and what better time for Duke to come into town with a thriving ground attack. There is upset potential here, but as we’ve seen all throughout the first month of the season, these rivalry games have been contested.
4* Free Week 5 NCAA Betting Pick: Duke +20.5
Duke’s moneyline may oddly be the most enticing thing on the menu this weekend. They have the team to compete and the Victory Bell will be the motive. They can stall UNC’s season completely, and end any possibility of a CFB Playoff Game for Sam Howell, but spotting them 21 points is the much more safer route.
The Blue Devils should keep things close, but defeating a UNC team that must have a sense of urgency at home will be quite the task. We’re going to go with the margin, as Mack Brown’s team should enter this home bout ready, but Duke enters with the momentum. Take Duke’s game spread, and sprinkle a little on their moneyline, as an upset isn’t completely out of reach.
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