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Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
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Expert Picks
Led by quarterback Sam Howell, the North Carolina Tar Heels have vaulted into the top five. Saturday they’ll head on the road as huge favorites against Florida State. With both programs in uncharted territories, the line value lies with the Tar Heels. Although the Tar Heels recent victories have not been indicative of a top-five team, they’ll blow out an underperforming Seminoles squad.
The Florida State offense started to show signs of life against Notre Dame last weekend, but it was a Notre Dame team that hadn't played for a few weeks and had its life disrupted by COVID protocols. I'm not going to take that performance as a sign the Noles offense is capable of keeping up with North Carolina here.
I have a hard time figuring out a way that Florida State gets to 20 points against the Tar Heels. Yes, North Carolina’s defense struggled in the second half last week, but has been pretty solid for most of the season. Will the Sam Howell and the Tar Heels offense light up the Seminoles defense? Not enough to make this a high-scoring shootout -- mostly because they won’t have to.