The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Syracuse Orange meet in week 10 college football action from the JMA Wireless Dome on Friday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Syracuse Orange prediction.
North Carolina Tar Heels Recap
The North Carolina Tar Heels come into this game looking to bounce back from a 17-16 loss at the hands of Virginia last time out to sit at 2-5 this season. After this game, North Carolina will head home for a game against Stanford.
Tar Heels Drop 4th In A Row
Gio Lopez has thrown for 805 yards, 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on 60.9% passing while Max Johnson has thrown for 378 yards and 2 TDs on 63.9% passing. Demon June leads the Tar Heels with 315 rushing yards and a touchdown. Jordan Shipp has a team-high 29 receptions for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns while three more Tar Heels have 100+ receiving yards as well this season. On defense, Khmori House has a team-high 41 total tackles with a team-high 23 solo tackles while Melkart Abou Jaoude has a team-high 5 sacks as well on the year. As a unit, North Carolina’s defense has combined for 14 sacks and 5 interceptions so far this season.
Why the North Carolina Tar Heels will win
- Syracuse has lost each of its last four games.
- North Carolina has won four of its last five games following an overtime loss.
- North Carolina has covered the spread in six of its last seven October games as a road underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Syracuse has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games against non-AP-ranked teams at JMA Wireless Dome.
Syracuse Orange Recap
The Syracuse Orange come into this game looking to shake off a 41-16 loss at the hands of Syracuse last time out to sit at 3-5 this season. After this game, Syracuse will head on the road for a game against Miami.
Orange Lose 4 Straight
Steve Angeli has thrown for 1,316 yards, 10 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on 62.8% passing but is out for the season with an injury while Rickie Collins has thrown for 957 yards, 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in relief. Yasin Willis has rushed for 429 yards and 4 touchdowns and Will Nixon has 236 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. Johntay Cook leads the Orange in receiving with 39 grabs for 501 yards and 2 touchdowns while Darrell Gill Jr. has 455 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Dan Villari has 365 receiving yards and Justus Ross-Simmons has 312 receiving yards and 5 TDs so far this season. Another three Syracuse receivers have 100+ receiving yards as well this season. On defense, Gary Bryant III has a team-high 43 total tackles while Kevin Jobity Jr. has a team-high 5 sacks and Jamie Tremble has 3 sacks as well on the year. Braheem Long Jr. has a pair of sacks and Davien Kerr has 3 interceptions so far this season. As a unit, Syracuse’s defense has combined for 16 sacks and 5 interceptions so far this season.
Why the Syracuse Orange will win
- North Carolina has lost seven of its last eight games in October.
- The favorite has won each of North Carolina’s last seven games.
- Syracuse has covered the spread in each of its last four games as a favorite against teams from North Carolina.
- North Carolina has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last nine games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
Total Points Facts
- Each of North Carolina’s last seven games after coming off overtime have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of Syracuse’s last four October games as a favorite have gone UNDER the total points line.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Syracuse Orange Prediction
I’m on the under here. I get the case to be made for either side in this game, but truth be told neither one are teams I really want to back right now in any way, shape or form. Neither offense is all that effective as 17 points feels like the max output that we can get from both these days, and a similar kind of game like a 20-17 kind of game wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest here. Give me the under.