Week 4: North Carolina vs Notre Dame 9/24/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The North Carolina Tar Heels and Notre Dame Fighting Irish do battle Saturday in week 4 college football action from Kenan Memorial Stadium. Notre Dame is fresh off a matchup against California. The Irish ended up bagging a seven-point win. As for the Tar Heels, they’re coming off an open weekend. North Carolina last played Georgia State in a seven-point victory. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Notre Dame had a tough draw against Ohio State in their first game of the year. The Irish had a 10-7 lead at halftime in that one, but eventually fell 21-10. In game two versus Marshall, Notre Dame was down by two at halftime and lost again in a tough 26-21 result. 

In the game versus California, the Irish were down 17-14 heading into the fourth quarter. Notre Dame surged from there in a 24-17 victory. QB Drew Pyne posted 150 yards with two pass scores, and Audric Estime had 76 yards and a TD off 18 carries to lead the rush. 

Over on the North Carolina side, they got an early start to the year on August 27 versus Florida A&M. The Tar Heels didn’t have much trouble there in a 56-24 win. Game two was another story; North Carolina barely escaped with a victory in a high-flying 63-61 finish. 

The Tar Heels were able to keep their run going in week three versus Georgia State. North Carolina gave up 18 points in the third quarter but were able to hang on for the 35-28 win. QB Drake Maye finished with 284 yards and two scores, while Omarion Hampton led the rush with 16 carries for 110 yards and two TDs. 

The Irish are 4-0 ATS in the last four versus the ACC and 4-1 ATS in their last five on grass. Notre Dame is 20-8-1 ATS in their last 29 road games.
Meanwhile, the Tar Heels are 4-1 ATS in their last five in September and 1-4 ATS versus a team with a losing record. UNC is 1-4 ATS in their last five at home. 

PICK: I’m probably going to try Notre Dame, but I could go either way in this one. The Irish finally got into the win column against Cal over the weekend, but it wasn’t pretty. Notre Dame had a tepid 297 total yards and went just 3-of-12 on third-down tries. The good news is that the defense was pretty solid on the other side.
As for North Carolina, they’ve been playing it pretty tight over the last couple of games. In the Georgia State matchup, the Tar Heels were a mixed bag. UNC posted three turnovers and a spotty 6-of-13 on third-down tries in that one and also benefitted from 12 Panthers penalties. The extra week of practice and rest should help North Carolina, though.