The North Carolina Tar Heels are ranked in the Top 5 in college football for the first time since 1997 and they’ll look to improve to 4-0 straight up when they visit the Florida State Seminoles Saturday.
The Tar Heels have one of the best run games in the country and that makes them a tempting bet as they go up against the Seminoles’ struggling linebackers.
Let’s take a look at our best college football predictions for North Carolina at Florida State, scheduled for Saturday, October 17 at 7:30 ET in Tallahassee.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs Florida State Seminoles betting preview
Weather
It should be a nice night for football in Florida. The forecast is calling for clear skies and temperatures hovering around 70 for kickoff with minimal wind. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
North Carolina: Raymond Vohasek DL (Questionable), Emery Simmons WR (Questionable), Ja'Qurious Conley DB (Questionable), Storm Duck DB (Out), Kendrick Bingley-Jones DL (Out).
Florida State: Jordan Travis QB (Probable), Travis Jay DB (Questionable), Chubba Purdy QB (Questionable), D.J. Matthews WR (Questionable), Hamsah Nasirildeen DB (Questionable), Darius Washington OL (Questionable), Andrew Boselli OL (Questionable), Tamorrion Terry WR (Out).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The trends are in the Tar Heels' favor. They are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite and are 4-0 ATS in their last four trips to Florida State. Find more NCAA football betting trends for North Carolina vs. Florida State.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
After relatively easy wins over Syracuse and Boston College, UNC got a signature 56-45 win over Virginia Tech last week, where its two-headed monster at running back — Michael Carter and Javonte Williams — combined for 383 rushing yards on just 37 carries. Now, the Tar Heels look to rumble all over Florida State.
The Seminoles are 1-3 SU/ATS with their lone win coming over FCS Jackson State, in which they needed a second-half comeback to pull out the victory. Now, they’ll have their hands full with the Tar Heels’ offense, which is one of the best in the country. Florida State is allowing opponents to run for 194.3 yards per game, at a clip of 6.0 yards per carry — the fourth-worst mark in the FBS this season.
With the balance that QB Sam Howell provides the offense (777 yards, six touchdowns this season), it’s hard to fade UNC in this one. Particularly, considering the fact that the Seminoles put up just 22.5 points per game on offense and will be hard-pressed to keep up.
PREDICTION: UNC -13.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The Tar Heels’ offense was humming against Virginia Tech, rolling up 56 points to cash their first Over ticket of the season. But their defense finally showed some cracks against a more competent Hokies offense, allowing 45 points on 495 yards, including 260 on the ground, and while Florida State has had a boatload of issues so far this season, there is still some talent on the roster.
First of all, the switch to Jordan Travis at quarterback has given the Seminoles’ offense a boost. The redshirt sophomore has thrown for just two touchdowns with two picks, but he is averaging about nine yards per attempt, which is more than double that of former starter James Blackman. He has also added 235 yards and two scores on the ground.
He also has the support of Lawrance Toafili and La’Damian Webb in the run game, as well as a decent offensive line. Florida State should be amped up to play this game and should find some success on the ground as UNC is dealing with a few injuries. The Seminoles should be able to do their part to send this Over the number.
PREDICTION: Over 64 (-110)
First-half Spread Pick
The Tar Heels got off to a bit of a slow start in their first game of the season, but still managed to hold a 7-3 lead over Syracuse at half. They got a little better against BC, heading into the break with a 21-16 lead. And last week was their best start yet, jumping out to a 35-14 lead over Virginia Tech after two quarters.
The point is, UNC has held a lead at halftime in every game this season and has improved with each game. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see it have another halftime lead in this one.
PREDICTION: UNC -6.5 First Half (-110)
North Carolina vs Florida State betting card
- UNC -13.5 (-110)
- Over 64 (-110)
- UNC -6.5 First Half (-110)
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