Pittsburgh Panthers (4-0) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-2)
October 5, 2024 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: North Carolina Tar Heels +1.5 / Pittsburgh Panthers -1.5; Over/Under: +61.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Pittsburgh Panthers and the North Carolina Tar Heels meet Saturday in college football action from Kenan Memorial Stadium. Here’s a North Carolina vs Pittsburgh prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best North Carolina vs Pittsburgh pick.
Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Preview
In their 2024 opener the Panthers took on Kent State and walked away with a 55-24 win. The next two games were also wins for Pittsburgh—though much closer. The Panthers beat Cincinnati 28-27 and West Virginia 38-34.
In their last matchup September 21 versus Youngstown State, the Panthers took another blowout win. Pittsburgh scored 21 points in three of the four quarters during a 73-17 result. QB Eli Holstein logged 247 yards and three touchdowns. Daniel Carter rushed seven times for 109 yards and two TDs of his own.
North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview
Over on the North Carolina side, they got off to a nice start this year with three straight wins. Those came 19-17 over Minnesota, 38-20 versus Charlotte and 45-10 against NC Central. Game four was a loss 70-50 to James Madison, though.
Last weekend versus Duke, North Carolina blew a 17-0 halftime lead in a rough loss 21-20 after giving up 14 unanswered fourth-quarter points. Jacolby Criswell threw for 251 yards, two scores and an interception. Omarion Hampton was tops in rushing on 29 carries for 103 yards.
North Carolina vs Pittsburgh Prediction
I’m going to lean toward Pittsburgh. The Panthers are coming off a dominant win over Youngstown State, bagging 644 yards (295 passing), 10.6 yards per play and 28 first downs. Pittsburgh has now scored 28 or more points in every game and should have a sound plan in place here after the extra week of prep.
As for UNC, on Saturday they played a pretty sloppy overall game with 10 penalties for 84 yards. The third-down efficiency wasn’t great either (5-of-18) and it all led to a pretty surprising loss after a good first three quarters. I like the Tar Heels to regroup here but I don’t think they’ll cover/win.
