Week 13 College Football Lines: NC State At North Carolina

It’s always a little disappointing when we arrive at the final week of the college football regular season, but the schedule makers do a nice job of cushioning the blow by serving up a host of rivalry games. Better yet, we get almost two full days of action, as the day after Thanksgiving Day sees a few big games hit the Friday docket. Things get rolling early with NC State making the short trip to Chapel Hill to face the North Carolina Tar Heels. There is more than just pride to play for in this one, as the Wolfpack are looking to become bowl eligible, which they will do with a win over their bitter rivals. The Tar Heels could also sneak into the top spot in the ACC Coastal division to set up a championship face-off against Clemson, but they are also going to need a slip-up by Virginia Tech to make that happen. It’s all to play for in this one, and the bookies have the Tar Heels as an 11.5-point betting odds favorite.

Here’s A Closer Look At The Week 13 College Football Betting Lines: Wolfpack At Tar Heels

When: Friday, November 25 at 12 PM EST Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill TV: CBSSN Live Stream: CBS Sports Network NCAAF Odds: TBA    

Why bet on the NC State Wolfpack

You might look at the Wolfpack and instantly dismiss upon seeing that they have only a single win in their last 6 games, but you need to look at who they played in the stretch. They had Clemson, Louisville, and Florida State in that group, and they were highly competitive in 2 of those 3 games. They should have beaten Clemson, and they came ever so close to taking out the Seminoles too. When this team steers clear of mistakes, they are tough to beat, but the problem here is that they are prone to making errors are just the wrong times in games. The NC State Wolfpack have been a solid bet ATS this season, going 7-4, and we should also remember that they took out the Tar Heels 35-7 the last time they visited Chapel Hill.

Why bet on the North Carolina Tar Heels

The key to success for UNC in this one will be to shut down Matt Dayes and the Wolfpack running game. If they can put in the same type of defensive effort that they did in defeating The Citadel Bulldogs, who just happen to have the most potent offense in FCS football. They held the Bulldogs to just 27 yards through the air, but did give up quite a bit on the ground, which is something they will need to address coming into this one. The Tar Heels are also 7-4 ATS, but more importantly, they are 5-2 ATS when going into a game as the favorite.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The outcome of this game is going to hinge on how effective the Wolfpack are at moving the ball on the ground. If they can get Dayes rolling early on, they will keep this one close. I like NC State to cover in a loss.

NC State Wolfpack 20 North Carolina Tar Heels 27