North Carolina vs Pittsburgh Prediction 10-5-24 College Football Picks

The Pittsburgh Panthers and the North Carolina Tar Heels will meet on 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 of 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.

Why the North Carolina Tar Heels will win

• Pittsburgh has lost three of its last four October games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams.
• North Carolina has won five of its last six home games in October.
• The underdog has covered the spread in each of North Carolina’s last four games.
• Pittsburgh has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four road games in October.
• North Carolina has won the first half in three of its last four home games against conference opponents.
• North Carolina has won the first quarter in four of its last five games against conference opponents.

Why the Pittsburgh Panthers will win

• Pittsburgh has won each of its last four games.
• North Carolina has lost five of its last six games against conference opponents.
• North Carolina has failed to cover the spread in each of its last six games against conference opponents.
• Pittsburgh has covered the spread in each of its last four games.

Total Points Facts

• Each of North Carolina’s last six games as an underdog has gone UNDER the total points line.
• Fourteen of Pittsburgh’s last 16 games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

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.