The No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels are 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS so far in 2020 and are 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall with an average margin of victory of 27 points. The Tar Heels can extend their winning streak to seven straight games with a road win over the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday night.
- Date/Time: October 17, 7 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Doak Campbell Stadium
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: North Carolina -9.5 | O/U 62.5 (Line History)
- North Carolina vs Florida State Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Early bettors quickly jumped on the Tar Heels as 9.5-point road favorites to push North Carolina up to a 12-point favorite in Tallahassee. The total has moved a full point from its opener at 62.5 points down to 61.5 points as well. UNC is 2-1 SU and ATS in its last three games against the Seminoles.
North Carolina News & Notes
North Carolina might have got caught looking ahead to its game against the No. 19 Virginia Tech Hokies in an underwhelming 26-22 win against Boston College as 14.5-point favorites on October 3. But they survived that game and got the job done against the Hokies last Saturday in a 56-45 win.
The Tar Heels showed off their offensive versatility in the win as Sam Howell went 18-for-23 with 257 passing yards and three passing touchdowns while Michael Carter and Javonte Williams combined to rush for 383 yards and four touchdowns.
This Tar Heels squad looks the part of a legitimate contender, but it will be tested late in the season with a home game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and a road tilt against the Miami Hurricanes looming. They’ll look to keep things rolling until then.
Florida State News & Notes
Florida State showed signs of life by outscoring the Fighting Irish 17-14 in the first quarter last Saturday, but Notre Dame dominated the rest of the way en route to a 42-26 win. The Seminoles did manage to cover the spread as 21-point underdogs but fell to 1-3 SU and ATS on the season and 1-5 SU and ATS over their last six games.
Sophomore quarterback Jordan Travis played well in the loss, passing for 204 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 96 yards and another score. Travis’s strong play since coming off the bench against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks has seemingly given the Seminoles some clarity at quarterback. This looks to be his job to lose moving forward.
Betting Pick: North Carolina -12
Florida State’s defense has been torched for 454 yards and 33.5 points per game. North Carolina’s offense should have no trouble pulling away late in this one to cover the spread with a double-digit victory.
- FSU is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
- UNC is 4-0 ATS in its last 4 games vs FSU.
- The OVER is 8-3 in UNC’s last 11 road games.
