North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. North Carolina Tar Heels: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 11/25/2022

by Chuck Sommers

Sunday, Nov 20, 2022
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
Where to watch: ABC

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: North Carolina -6.5
FanDuel: North Carolina -6.5
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: North Carolina -6.5

Season record
No. 24 NC State: 7-4 (3-4 ACC)
No. 13 North Carolina: 9-2 (6-1 ACC)

The college football fun never stops and we're inching closer to conference championship season. A lot of big games are still to be determined in who will play whom and where, and our top-notch handicappers have been at the forefront for the last month or so providing you with the winners you need to head into December with some confidence in your pocket. How can you be so sure? Of course you have to look at the likes of Kyle Hunter going 20-8-0 over the last 30 days, as well as Will Rogers at 22-14-0 over the last month. What about Vegas Writer? He's sitting at 12-6-1 over the last 30 days since joining our team of champion handicappers that has been killing it everywhere this year. You see the success rate. You need to be on board to join our guys who can get you where you need to go for the homestretch of the college football season. Make sure you're keeping tabs here at bigal.com to find out what our champion handicappers are thinking in all sports!

NC State - UNC preview, analysis and prediction


Last week
NC State: lost 25-10 at Louisville
UNC: lost 21-17 vs. Georgia Tech

Well, the good news for the North Carolina Tar Heels is that they still have a chance to get to a new year 6 bowl game if they win the ACC championship. The problem now however, is that the margin of error to get to that point, is razor thin. Because no one can sit here and tell me that North Carolina absolutely choking against Georgia Tech was seen in the cards at all last Saturday, especially blowing a 17 -0 lead.

But do not fear Tar Heel fans. If there was ever a chance for North Carolina to at least go into the conference title game against the Clemson Tigers on a strong foot, it would be this week against in state rival North Carolina State. The injuries the Wolfpack have sustained, especially a quarterback, have shown over the last two weeks and now it is looking more and more likely that North Carolina well at least get the taste out of its mouth from a horrendous performance on Saturday and go into the conference title game at full strength.

A lot of things happened in this game that had reeling implications for North Carolina. For one thing, it is very highly expected that quarterback Drake Maye had his Heisman chances completely demolished in this loss to Georgia Tech. This 21-17 loss to the yellow jackets not only may have taken North Carolina out of the large at bid for a bowl game, but completely eradicated the Heisman chances for North Carolina’s quarterback.

Maye threw for 202 yards and an interception, likely the first time he's gone without a touchdown pass all season, and if not for Elijah Green running for two touchdowns in the first half, this might have been a completely different ball game in a much more hilariously horrendous ending.

"I thought we were mature enough to play in what would be called a trap game," UNC coach Mack Brown said. "I thought we were beyond that after Virginia, but we obviously weren't. I thought we did a poor job of preparing them and didn't play well enough to win."

It is a shame to see North Carolina suffering a late season loss like this when the ACC needed some strong competition for Clemson. The Tigers are 8-0 in conference play this year and really needed some strong competition to potentially knock them out of a college football playoff spot and a bowl game. But maybe they will find their groove offensively in due time.

NC State meanwhile is likely on its way out of the top 25 after losing a second consecutive game on Saturday, losing to the Malik Cunningham less Louisville Cardinals 25-10 in Louisville on Saturday. Quarterback Ben Finley threw for 201 yards, completed less than 50% of his passes and the Wolfpack offense just could not get anything going. They were held to just 291 total yards of offense.

Prediction


Given the fact that NC State has completely fallen off offensively it should not shock anybody that they would lose this game period North Carolina, despite falling short last week, is the much better team compared to the two and it will show in this game. North Carolina by 21

Betting trends


NC State is 1-5 ATS in conference games this season.

North Carolina is 13-12 ATS against conference opponents the last 3 years.

The over is 17-8 in conference games for North Carolina the last 3 years.

Statistical leaders


NC State:
Passing: Devin Leary -- 1,265 yards, 11 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Jordan Houston -- 500 yards
Receiving: Thayer Thomas -- 586 yards, 4 TD

North Carolina:
Passing: Drake Maye -- 3,614 yards, 34 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Drake Maye -- 597 yards, 5 TD
Receiving: Josh Downs -- 878 yards, 11 TD

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this NC State Wolfpack - North Carolina Tar Heels prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college football projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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