The first of four bowl games on Thursday is the Duke’s Mayo Bowl from Charlotte and it should have about a 50-50 split of fans as North Carolina renews its occasional rivalry with South Carolina. The Heels are solid favorites on the NCAAF college football odds.
How to Bet North Carolina vs. South Carolina NCAA Football Odds & TV Info
- When: Thursday, 11:30 AM ET
- Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: ESPN app
- Radio: Tunein.com
- Opening NCAAF Lines: UNC -9 (total 58)
Series History
It’s the 55th all-time meeting between the schools in a series that dates to 1908 but the teams have met just five times since 1991. UNC leads 35-19-4. The rivalry will continue in 2023 in Charlotte on opening weekend from Bank of America Stadium. Heels coach Mack Brown is 2-3 against South Carolina with all five games coming as the head coach of UNC.
Why Bet on North Carolina?
Heels star quarterback Sam Howell will play in the game and then presumably enter the draft. The 2021 season has not gone as Howell and company expected as the Tar Heels went 6-6 on the season after being projected for 9.5 wins at the start of the season. Howell threw for career lows in passing yards (2,851) and touchdowns (23) this season, while throwing a career-high nine interceptions. Howell is 43 of 65 for 528 passing yards and six passing touchdowns and one interception in his two-game bowl career. He has rushed for 78 yards on 15 carries.
North Carolina ranks third in the ACC with 479.6 yards of total offense per game. The Tar Heels exceeded 500 yards of offense five times this season and posted more than 600 yards in back-to-back games against Georgia State (607) and a season-high 699 yards against Virginia. The Tar Heels also produced 564 yards at #11 Notre Dame, a season high on the road in 2021.
Carolina leads the ACC with 219.7 rushing yards per game. The Tar Heels last led the league in rushing back in 1994 behind the duo of Curtis Johnson and Leon Johnson. North Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky and Ohio State are the only four Power 5 programs to have a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in 2021. Josh Downs has a school record 1,273 receiving yards, while Ty Chandler has 1,063 rushing yards.
Carolina, who is making its 36th postseason bowl appearance, owns a 15-20 all-time record in bowl games. The Tar Heels are playing in a bowl game for the third year in a row. Last season, Carolina fell 41-27 to Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl. Mack Brown owns a 15-9 record in bowl games, including guiding the Tar Heels to six-straight appearances from 1992-97 and in 2019 and 2020. Brown is 4-3 in bowl games he coached at UNC.
Carolina is 1-3 in four previous bowl games played in Charlotte, N.C. UNC lost to Boston College, 37-24, in 2004, lost to West Virginia, 31-30, in 2008, lost to Pittsburgh, 19-17, in 2009 and defeated Cincinnati, 39-17, in 2013.
Why Bet on South Carolina?
South Carolina will be without leading rusher ZaQuandre White and star edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare, who opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. Gamecocks quarterback Jason Brown has also entered the transfer portal, leaving Zeb Noland as the starter.White finished the season as the leading rusher for the Gamecocks totaling 583 yards on 88 carries, which is good for 6.6 yards per rush. He had two touchdowns on the ground, but also showed his ability as a receiver, catching three touchdown passes. He caught 19 passes, good for fifth-most on the team, and had 202 receiving yards.
Enagbare was a key piece for new defensive coordinator Clayton White’s 4-2-5 defense and showed some versatility with playing in three-technique as well as standing up. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound end recorded 41 tackles this season with five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Brown is a first-year quarterback who started the past four games for USC, leading the Gamecocks to a 40-17 win against Florida and a 21-17 victory over Auburn. He completed 60 of 108 passes for 721 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions.
This will mark South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer’s first meeting against the Tar Heels as a head coach. The Gamecocks are 35-12 in their last 47 non-conference games, with seven of the 12 losses coming against Clemson. Carolina is 3-1 in non-conference action in 2021 with wins over Eastern Illinois (46-0), East Carolina (20-17) and Troy (23-14) and a loss to Clemson.
South Carolina is 9-14 all-time in bowls. It hadn’t played in one since 2018.
Game Trends
- Tar Heels are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
- Tar Heels are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
- Tar Heels are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.
- Tar Heels are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. SEC.
- Gamecocks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 bowl games.
- Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
Expert Prediction: North Carolina 33, South Carolina 28
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