The North Carolina Tar Heels will face off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a cross-conference matchup on Thursday, August 29. This ACC vs. Big Ten matchup marks the only Thursday night matchup between Power 4 teams and kicks off the Week 1 schedule of college football. Both teams have performed well in their opening games in recent years, so a win in this matchup would be huge for both teams in boosting their confidence. North Carolina is 4-1 in their last 5 Week 1 games while Minnesota is 6-1 in their last 7 Week 1 games.
Kickoff from TCF Bank Stadium is at 8 PM ET. SportsLine's latest North Carolina vs. Minnesota odds have the Tar Heels favored by 1.5 points, and the over/under for total points is 49.5. Before locking in any Minnesota vs. North Carolina picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine prediction model.
The model simulates FBS college football games 10,000 times. Since inception, the model has generated well over $2,000 in profits for players who spend $100 on the top rated college football picks against the spread. The model also just finished a season with a profitable 13-9 record on its top rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed this model has seen significant profits.
Now, the model has set its sights on North Carolina vs. Minnesota and has locked in its predictions and CFB projections: To see the model's predictions, visit SportsLine now: Here are the college football odds and betting lines for Minnesota vs. North Carolina:
UNC vs. Minnesota spread: UNC -1.5UNC vs. Minnesota over/under: 49.5 pointsUNC vs. Minnesota moneyline: UNC -130, Minnesota +109UNC: Tar Heels are 2-5 against the spread in their last 7 road gamesMINN: Golden Gophers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home gamesUNC vs. Minnesota picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why North Carolina has you covered
UNC lost quarterback Drake Maye to the NFL, but the Tar Heels will have a veteran running back in the backfield on Thursday night. Omarion Hampton is expected to be heavily involved in North Carolina's game plan after rushing for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. Hampton averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 253 carries last season.
The Tar Heels have two experienced tight ends the quarterback can rely on in this road game. Bryson Nesbitt and John Copenhaver combined for nine touchdown receptions last season. They also both averaged over 14 yards per reception. Last year's leading receiver, JJ Jones, will also be on the outside, with 46 receptions for 711 yards and three scores in 2023. Find out which team to pick here.
Why Minnesota has you covered
The Golden Gophers have an experienced offensive line and return last season's leading runner, Darius Taylor, who ran for 799 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry in 2023. As a team, Minnesota will likely run for over 2,048 yards and field a ground-and-pound attack in 2024.
Defensively, Minnesota allowed 26.69 points per game last season, ranking 67th in college football. Defensive end Jah Joyner led the Golden Gophers with 7.5 sacks in 2023 and will anchor Minnesota's defense in 2024. Edge rusher Danny Strigow finished last season with six sacks and 51 total tackles, 30 of which were solo. Find out which team to pick here.
How to predict Minnesota vs. UNC
The SportsLine model is leaning toward the Over being the point total, with the score projected to be 57 points. The model also predicts that one side of the spread will hit more than 50% of the time. The model's projections are available exclusively at SportsLine.
So who will win North Carolina vs. Minnesota, and which side of the spread will come out right in over 50% of simulations? Head to SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you should bet on, from an advanced computer simulation model that's made over $2,000 in profits on college football predictions since its inception.
