The 11th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish look to climb back into the College Football Playoff conversation with a strong finish to the season as they battle the unranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night in nonconference play. 

Kickoff from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Tar Heels are 4-3 overall and 3-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while the Fighting Irish are 6-1 overall. Notre Dame won last year's meeting 31-17, and holds a 19-2 edge in the all-time series.

The Fighting Irish are favored by 3.5 points in the latest North Carolina vs. Notre Dame odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 62.5. Before entering any North Carolina vs. Notre Dame picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.

Notre Dame has won 38 consecutive games when it has reached 30 or more points, including last week's win over USC. One of the reasons for the Fighting Irish's success has been the play of graduate transfer quarterback Jack Coan. The former Wisconsin Badger has completed 63.5 percent of his passes this season, completing 120 of 189 attempts for 1,397 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has been intercepted four times, but has a rating of 140.6.   

North Carolina junior quarterback Sam Howell is a dual-threat on offense. He leads the team in passing and is second in rushing. Howell has completed 129 of 211 passes (61.1 percent) for 1,851 yards and 18 touchdowns with six picks and a rating of 157.3. He has also carried 96 times for 494 yards (5.1 average) and five scores. In the win over Miami, Fla., two weeks ago, Howell threw for two TDs and rushed for two.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,900 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 9 of the 2021 season on a 26-11 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE RETURNS!

Now, it has simulated North Carolina vs. Notre Dame 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you the model is leaning under on the point total. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in 60 percent of simulations. You absolutely need to see it before locking in your own picks.

So who wins North Carolina vs. Notre Dame? And which side of the spread cashes in 60 percent of simulations? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college football picks.