Coming off a big victory over Virginia Tech 4-2 North Carolina goes on the ACC road to play at 4-2 Miami-Fla. (2:30 pm ET, ESPNU).

The Heels, who have lost the last two games in this series, were early six-point favorites over the 'Canes, who just got punked by Notre Dame.



View North Carolina vs Miami Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Fans backing the Hurricanes here saw them open at Sportsbook as 3.5-point underdogs in this college football clash. (Check back shortly for Sportsbook totals at sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark as none was available at the time this preview was written.)

Power Rankings / Prediction: According to the Power Rankings here at OddsShark it's the No. 92-rated Hurricanes and the No. 33-rated Tar Heels in this matchup. Predictive formulas point to a 58-27 win for the Tar Heels on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Miami's No. 55-ranked offense (30.2 PPG) against a Tar Heels defense that ranks No. 27 at 17.8 PPG. The Hurricanes passing attack has averaged 307.2 yards per game, more than the Tar Heels give up through the air (226 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Tar Heels feature the league's No. 30-rated road run defense, allowing 123.5 yards per game. Miami, meanwhile, ranks No. 89 in rushing offense at home.

Last time out for North Carolina, they were a 48-34 Sportsbook as they battled Virginia Tech at home. North Carolina covered in the match as a 6.5-point favorite, while 82 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. In their last game, North Carolina got a 262-yard performance from Giovani Bernard as a key part of its 48-34 win over Virginia Tech.

Miami was a 41-3 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Notre Dame. They failed to cover the 16.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (44) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Miami didn’t make much of a game of it last time out, losing to the Fighting Irish as Notre Dame blasted them 41-3 in Week 6 action.


North Carolina Tar Heels Trends:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on grass are 6-4
After outgaining opponent are 5-5
When playing within the conference are 4-6

Miami Hurricanes Trends:
When playing in October are 5-5
When playing on grass are 6-4
After being outgained are 7-3
When playing within the conference are 6-4

A few Tar Heels at Hurricanes trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of North Carolina's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of North Carolina's last 5 games when playing Miami
North Carolina is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of North Carolina's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing North Carolina
Miami is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Miami is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Miami is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games at home


Next up:
North Carolina at Duke, Saturday, October 20
Miami home to Florida State, Saturday, October 20