Free NCAA Football Prediction: Tar Heels vs. Gamecocks Odds
Looking for North Carolina Tar Heels vs. South Carolina Gamecocks free picks? College football betting sees the Tar Heels taking on the Gamecocks on Thursday, December 30th, 2021 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football games Duke’s Mayo Bowl predictions like this South Carolina -North Carolina free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Duke’s Mayo Bowl
North Carolina Tar Heels (6-6) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (6-6)
Date: Thursday, December 30th, 2021
Time: 11:30 AM EST
Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: North Carolina -7 / South Carolina +7 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Tar Heels -270 / Gamecocks +225
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 57.5
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl will feature a border state rivalry between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the South Carolina Gamecocks.
These teams have had similar seasons, both going 6-6 and finishing in 10th place in their respective conferences.
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina came into this season with a lot of hype and were preseason ranked #10 in the country. Sam Howell continued to show improvement at over the years at Chapel Hill and was receiving Heisman buzz. Neither of those realties materialized.
The Tar Heels season was the epitome of average as they finished 6-6 and alternated wins and losses all year. Their regular season came to a sputtering finish with a 34-30 loss to rival NC state for the first time since 2018.
North Carolina led 30-21 with under two minutes remaining but had an epic collapse. The Tar Heels surrendered a busted coverage 64-yard touchdown strike with 1:33 left then allowed an onside kick which led to a quick 24-yard sideline strike with 1:09 remaining.
Sam Howell announced he will play in the bowl game. He is 205/327 (62.7%) passing for 2,851 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. His rushing total without sacks was 1,096 yards.
South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina finished with another average season in the stacked SEC Conference and alternated wins and losses all year. The Gamecocks went 6-6 overall and were 4th in the SEC East with a 3-5 conference record.
The Gamecocks are in the first season under the Shane Beamer regime as head coach. Beamer has the chance to lead South Carolina to their first bowl game and winning season since 2018.
South Carolina’s regular season came to an embarrassing end at home on rivalry week. The Gamecocks were shut out by rival Clemson 30-0 and their streak of head to head losses stretches to 7 straight games.
There was no offense to be found as quarterback inconsistency held the team back again in this one. Jason Brown started but only completed 8/19 passes for 67 yards and a pair of interceptions for an abysmal final QBR of 13.2. Zeb Noland stepped in after halftime and completed just 11/22 passes for 96 yards and a QBR of 33.8. Josh Vann was the leading receiver with a team high 4 receptions for 38 yards.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- North Carolina is 5-7 ATS this season
- North Carolina OVERS are 7-5 this season
- South Carolina is 5-6-1 this season
- South Carolina UNDERS are 7-5 this season
4* Free Duke’s Mayo Bowl NCAA Betting Pick: Under 57.5
This game has the makings to be a good one between two close rivals. The border divides these two loyal fan bases and they will meet right in the middle on December 30th from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Both of these teams have been mediocre this season with alternating wins and losses to find themselves at 6-6 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Neither team won their regular season finale so they’ll coming in looking to clinch a winning season and end 2021 on a high note.
North Carolina entered the season with much greater expectations but failed to reach them. South Carolina didn’t have much expected of them in the stout SEC Conference.
The spread is large in favor of the Tar Heels which I believe is fair when considering both sides talent level. The number is still too large for my liking as North Carolina hasn’t won many games convincingly over quality opponents and South Carolina has the ability to hang tough.
I like the UNDER in this matchup as I think it’s too high for these offenses which have proven to sputter out on a regular basis.
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