College football betting kicks off in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday with the first game on the board between the Syracuse Orange and North Carolina Tar Heels.
While we tend to get more hyped when these programs play each other in college basketball, this should be an exciting game featuring one of the country's most promising quarterback prospects UNC passer Sam Howell.
We break down the college football odds and bring you our free picks and predictions for Syracuse vs North Carolina on Saturday, September 12, with kickoff at noon ET.
Syracuse Orange vs North Carolina Tar Heels betting preview
Weather
It's expected to be a nice, cloudy day on Saturday with temperatures in the mid-70s, a 30 percent chance of rain and breezes of 7 mph from the East at kickoff. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Injuries
Syracuse: Jarveon Howard RB (Out), Abdul Adams RB (Out), Cody Roscoe DL (out), Cooper Dawson DL (out)
North Carolina: Kedrick Bingley-Jones DL (questionable), Triston Miller OL (out), Bryce Watts DB (out), Javon Terry DB (out), DJ Ford DB (out)
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Over is 9-4-1 in the Tar Heels last 14 conference games.. Get the latest NCAA football betting trends for Syracuse vs. North Carolina
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
The talk around UNC starts and ends with QB Sam Howell right now. Coming off a freshman season where he threw for 3,641 yards and 38 touchdowns against just seven interceptions, expectations will be sky-high for the 19-year-old.
That said, even with Howell and an explosive offense that totaled 469 yards per game a year ago, covering a 21-point spread won't be easy, especially against a Syracuse team that should be much-improved on the offensive side of the ball.
Syracuse QB Tommy Devito will be back for his second season as a starter. He showed promise as a sophomore with 2,360 yards passing and 19 TDs against just five interceptions despite his offensive line getting him killed on a weekly basis.
That line should be better with a year of experience, while new offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert and his veer-and-shoot offense will play to the Orange's strengths in passing the football.
Don't forget that Devito's first huge performance on the college level came against UNC as a freshman, when he took over in the fourth quarter and threw for 181 yards and three scores to lead the Orange to a 40-37 victory. Take 'Cuse and the points.
PREDICTION: Syracuse +21 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
Howell might be the centerpiece of UNC's offense, but he doesn't have to do all the work himself. The Tar Heels return four of five starters on the offensive line, their top-5 leading receivers and their two-headed monster of Micheal Carter and Javonte Williams at running back, who combined for 1,767 yards and 5.7 yards per carry on the ground last year.
Led by Andre Cisco, Syracuse has a strong secondary but unless they can get pressure on Howell, they'll struggle to slow down UNC's attack. Syracuse's pass rush was OK a year ago but should be far worse this year as their four best pass rushers (defensive ends Alton Robinson, Brandon Berry and Kendall Coleman along with linebacker Lakiem Williams) have all left.
The Over has gone 9-4-1 in the Tar Heels' last 14 conference games, and has cashed in each of Syracuse's previous four contests overall. With wet conditions in the works you might want to wait until closer to game day before betting the total, but current trends are pointing in one direction.
PREDICTION: Over 63 (-110)
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Team Prop
The Tar Heels return last season's runner-up for ACC Defensive Player of the Year in Chazz Surratt, but even with their star linebacker North Carolina was inconsistent when it came to stopping other teams in 2019.
Sure they limited Clemson to just 21 points but they also gave up 43 points to Virginia Tech, 38 to Virginia, and 34 points to both Pitt and Appalachian State.
While Syracuse's offense struggled at times during a rebuilding year in 2019, they performed well down the stretch, closing the season out by averaging 40.7 points per game over their final three contests. The Orange should be good enough offensively to go Over their modest team total in this contest.
PREDICTION: Team Total - Syracuse Over 21 (-110)
Syracuse vs North Carolina betting card
- Syracuse +21 (-110)
- Over 63 (-110)
- Team Total - Syracuse Over 21 (-110)
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Where can I bet on college football?
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