Free NCAA Football Prediction: Tar Heels vs. Blue Devils Odds
Looking for North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils free picks? College football betting sees the Tar Heels taking on the Blue Devils on Saturday, October 15th at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game Week 7 predictions like this UNC-Duke free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 7
(5-1) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils (4-2)
Date: Saturday, October 15th, 2022
Time: 8:00 pm EST
Venue: Wallace James Stadium, Durham, NC
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: UNC -7 | DUKE +7 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Tar Heels -275 | Blue Devils +210
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 66.5
The North Carolina Tar Heels will travel down Tobacco Road and take on the Duke Blue Devils from Wallace Wade Stadium. UNC comes into this one as the seven-point road favorites, with the total opening at 66.5.
HISTORY: UNC and Duke have crossed paths in every season since 1888, marking one of the longest rivalries in college football history. North Carolina leads the all-time series 62-40-4, after a dominant stretch from 1990-2011.
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina got off to a good 3-0 start despite scares from a pair of Sun Belt schools. The Tar Heels took down Florida A&M in their home opener, and then nearly had any playoff aspirations ended with a trip to Boone. UNC avoided disaster after allowing 40 fourth quarter points, and took down App State in a shootout, 63-61.
Mack Brown’s bunch dodged another bullet seven days later, coming back to defeat Georgia State after trailing at halftime. The Tar Heels lost their first game of the season when Notre Dame came to town, but they’ve bounced back with a pair of victories to open ACC play. UNC beat Virginia Tech at home by 31 points, then traveled to South Beach and delivered last weekend.
In Week 6, North Carolina (+3.5) beat Miami, 27-24, coming through as road underdogs and covering for the second week in a row.
North Carolina is scoring 42.3 points per game, while allowing 32.1 ppg.
Drake Maye has provided a seamless transition at the QB spot for UNC. The redshirt freshman jumped out to a terrific start, leading the ACC in passing percentage, yards, and touchdowns early. Maye’s 433-yard, five-touchdown outburst against Tech was Heisman-like, and he’s going to be special.
Maye has thrown for 1,903 passing yards, with 21 touchdowns to three interceptions, while adding 308 rushing yards and three scores on the ground through the first six games of the season.
Omarion Hampton leads the backfield for the Tar Heels. The redshirt freshman has rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns in two of his first three games, and he leads the Heels with 329 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Caleb Hood has added 205 yards rushing.
Maye has spread the ball out well early, with eight pass catchers already surpassing the 100-yard mark. Josh Downs’ return in Week 3 has been huge, and he’s caught 28 passes for 299 receiving yards with five touchdowns in four games this season. Fifth-year wideout Antoine Green burst onto the scene in Week 3 with a 150-yard performance versus Notre Dame. Tight ends Kamari Morales and Bryson Nesbit have each caught three touchdowns.
Duke Blue Devils
Duke began their season with a pair of notable non-conference victories over Temple and Northwestern. The Blue Devils shut out the Owls in their home opener, before traveling and defeating the Wildcats. Mike Elko‘s team followed those wins up by hammering on in-state foe NC&T, but they were handed their first defeat from Kansas in Lawrence. The Blue Devils bounced back in their ACC opener versus Virginia, but found trouble in Atlanta last weekend.
In Week 6, Duke loss to Georgia Tech, 23-20, dropping to 4-2 against the spread this season.
Duke scores 32.5 points per game, while allowing 19.6 ppg.
Riley Leonard has brought life to the quarterback position at Duke. The sophomore signal caller has been accurate and impressive in his first five starts. He performed well versus KU, tossing for 324 yards and he scored three touchdowns in the win versus Virginia. Leonard struggled versus GT, and will need to raise his play with Drake Maye coming to town.
Leonard threw 1,312 passing yards with eight touchdowns to three interceptions, while rushing for 290 yards and four scores thus far.
There’s been a collective effort to replace star running back Mateo Durant. Jaylen Coleman and Justin Waters have split the touches early, with the former leading the team with 309 rushing yards. Waters has rushed for 272 yards, while scoring in each three of the last five games.
Jalon Calhoun was on pace to lead the Blue Devils in receiving for a second straight season, but an injury caused him to miss the GT game and it affected the Duke offense. He’s caught 23 passes for a team-lead 356 yards through five games. Former quarterback Jordan Moore has stepped up at the position, and he leads the team with 25 receptions and three touchdowns.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- UNC are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- DUKE are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- Tar Heels are 4-4 ATS in their last 8 road games.
- Blue Devils are 4-4 ATS in their last 8 home games.
Free Week 7 NCAA Football Final Analysis:
As a Duke basketball fan, it pains me to make this pick.
I love what UNC has with Drake Maye behind center, and with this only being Year 1, there’s no ceiling to what him & Mack Brown can do together at Chapel Hill.
The Blue Devils may have a tough time keeping up with their arch rivals here. Riley Leonard has regressed a bit since the start of ACC play, and it’s hard to trust him in a matchup of this magnitude right now, especially with Maye and the Tar Heels firing right now. North Carolina is a football school, and they’ll prove it even further this weekend by overpowering Duke and laying the points. UNC by 7
Take UNC’s spread confidently for this battle, as they should lift the Victory Bell for the fourth year in a row Saturday night.
4* Free Week 7 NCAA Betting Pick: UNC -7
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