Offshore sportsbooks favor the visiting team by 11 points when the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils play on Saturday in week 10 of ACC college football action at Wallace Wade Stadium.
North Carolina vs. Duke NCAAF Odds by MyBookie.ag
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | -11½ (-110) | 63 (-110) | -385 |  |
| Duke | +11½ (-110) | 63 (-110) | +318 | |
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Betting North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels are the road chalk according to the best online sportsbooks. North Carolina needs another feel-good win following a second loss to an unranked school. But such an attempt at rebounding will come against rival Duke on Saturday afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C.
North Carolina’s defeats have a first-half deficit in common. The Tar Heels rallied on both occasions, but the results were three-point losses. “For some reason, when we lose we dig ourselves a hole in the second quarter and then have to fight back out of it in the third and fourth quarter,” North Carolina head coach Mack Brown said. “We’ve got to quit doing that.”
For the second time this season, North Carolina comes off a close loss with its following game against a neighboring rival. Last month, the backlash was a dominant win over then-nationally ranked North Carolina State. After the 44-41 loss on Saturday night at Virginia, the Tar Heels fell out of the national rankings for the first time this year.
This is the second season since Coach Brown returned to the Tar Heels. They’re 3-5 in away games under him. “So we’ve got to play much better on the road,” he said. “We’ve talked about that (and) we’ve got another one coming up this weekend.”
Betting Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils are the home dogs per offshore sportsbooks. They insist they’re good-as-new following a week off before their dominant non-conference win on Saturday against Charlotte. They will try what it takes to rise to the occasion when the Tar Heels come to visit. “We can continue to grow off this,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “Really an exciting time. … Both games we’ve won, we started quickly. Every little detail is going to matter.”
Last year, Duke drove into range for a would-be game-winning touchdown. But then North Carolina LB Chazz Surratt’s interception at the goal line on a Duke trick play ensured that didn’t happen. It was a shocking turn of events that allowed NC to hold Duke off 20-17 at home. The Heels ended Duke’s three-game winning streak in their series. And regained the Victory Bell, which the winning school keeps until the next encounter.
“It’s intense, it’s extremely intense,” Cutcliffe said. “It’s more than bragging rights. … a huge, huge challenge, but it’s extremely important.” The Blue Devils have been vocal about their desire to win the Victory Bell back. “I’ve been fortunate to be a part of some good rivalries,” said Duke quarterback Chase Brice. “You don’t like anybody in the state, honestly. … Winning is not easy no matter who you’re playing in college football.”
North Carolina vs. Duke Blue Devils NCAAF Picks
North Carolina has allowed over 200 rushing yards in both of its losses. Duke running backs Deon Jackson and Mataeo Durant have each surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in two of the last three games, which were both Duke victories. Brown lamented the lack of time of possession in the Virginia game. But Duke went a different way took in routing Charlotte, having possession for only 17 minutes, 33 seconds. Instead they used quick strikes and ideal field possession which decreased its number of snaps. Charlotte had possession for over 42 minutes.
UNC is a superior team and should be favored by offshore sportsbooks. However, Duke at home with many points is difficult to turn down. So let’s side with Duke and the points.
