NC State Wolfpack (5-6) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-5)
November 30, 2024 3:30 pm EDT
The Line: North Carolina Tar Heels -3.5 / NC State Wolfpack +3.5; Over/Under: +54.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The NC State Wolfpack and the North Carolina Tar Heels meet Saturday in college football action from Kenan Memorial Stadium. Here’s a North Carolina vs NC State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best North Carolina vs NC State pick.
NC State Wolfpack Betting Preview
NC State went 3-2 over their first five games, taking out Western Carolina, Louisiana Tech and Northern Illinois along the way. The Wolfpack have since gone just 2-4, featuring losses to Wake Forest, Syracuse, Duke and Georgia Tech.
In their matchup with Georgia Tech last Thursday, NC State trailed 16-7 by the fourth quarter. During a busy period the Wolfpack threw up 22 more points but ended up losing a tough one 30-29. CJ Bailey threw three picks but also led the rush on nine carries for 83 yards and three scores.
North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview
Over on the North Carolina side, they won their first three games of the year before hitting a losing streak versus James Madison, Duke, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels would beat Virginia, Florida State and Wake Forest in the next trio, however.
On Saturday versus Boston College, the Tar Heels gave up 21 points in the second quarter alone along the way to a 41-21 blowout loss. Jacolby Criswell threw for 176 yards with three interceptions. Leading the rush was Omarion Hampton on just 53 yards from 11 carries.
North Carolina vs NC State Prediction
I’ll go with North Carolina. The Tar Heels’ offense needs a major bounce-back here, though. UNC stumbled to just 212 total yards in their loss to Boston College, posting three picks, 13 first downs and a measly 3-of-13 on third-down tries. The defense was chewed up by the rush (228 yards allowed) on the other side. It was the first time in a five-game span that North Carolina had failed to score at least 31 points.
As for NC State, they played a wild road game versus Georgia Tech on Thursday, posting 400 total yards (253 rushing), 16 first downs, three picks and a 5-of-12 rate on third downs. It was another tough outcome after losing to Duke by 10 points on November 9. NC State has 24 or more points in three of the last four games though, so if the offense can get going I could see some competition this Saturday. That’s not a given, though.
