The North Carolina Tar Heels will take on the 25th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers in an ACC matchup on Thursday night.
The Tar Heels are currently 5-4 (3-3) and are coming off a 58-55 home win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Junior quarterback Sam Howell went 16-of-26 for 216 yards with a touchdown.
The Panthers are 7-2 (4-1) at this point and are coming off a 54-29 road win. Senior quarterback Kenny Pickett finished 28-of-43 for 416 yards with three touchdowns.
North Carolina at Pittsburgh Betting Preview
North Carolina Tar Heels Preview: Running Game Doing Wonders
Senior running back Ty Chandler has been doing incredibly well this season as he has 143 rushes for 884 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) with 13 rushing touchdowns as well as nine receptions for 188 yards (20.9 yards per catch) with a receiving touchdown.
In his last game against Wake Forest, he had a monster game as he had 22 rushes for 213 yards (9.7 yards per rush) with four rushing touchdowns and a 30-yard reception.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have been a brutal defensive team so far as they are giving up 33.4 points per game. In their previous game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, the Tar Heels allowed 55 points on 615 total yards of offense (398 passing, 217 rushing).
Wake Forest struggled a bit on the money downs as they went 7-of-18 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down attempts. The Tar Heels need to defend the run better as they gave up 5.6 rushing yards per carry.
Pittsburgh Panthers Preview: Add-ison to the Scoreboard
The Panthers make sure the ball ends up in the hands of sophomore wide receiver Jordan Addison this year as he has 54 catches for 986 yards (18.3 yards per reception) with 11 touchdown catches as well as three rushes for six yards (two yards per rush) with a rushing touchdown.
In his last game against the Blue Devils, Addison finished with seven catches for 171 yards (24.4 yards per catch) with a receiving touchdown and a two-yard rushing touchdown.
The Pittsburgh Panthers have been a pretty good defensive team as they are allowing 22.7 points per game. In their previous game against the Duke Blue Devils, Pittsburgh gave up 29 points on 376 total yards of offense (241 passing, 135 rushing).
Duke struggled to convert as they ended up going just 8-of-19 on third down and did not convert any fourth downs in three different tries. The Panthers have been stopping the run at a good clip as they forced the Blue Devils to average just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt.
Who to Bet on Tar Heels at Panthers
The top sportsbooks in the nation are expecting the offenses to dominate this game and it to be a one-possession game when all is said and done. However, with Kenny Pickett under center for this game, I really like the Panthers. In his last five games, he has 14 touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
The defenses are going to be the difference as the Tar Heels are giving up 44 points in the last four games while the Panthers are allowing 22.8 points. Pittsburgh is also 7-2 against the spread, while North Carolina is just 4-5 against the spread. All in all, go with the Pittsburgh Panthers to cover the spread.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.