Minnesota vs #20 North Carolina, Prediction & Picks: Gophers Can’t Contain Maye

The North Carolina Tar Hells host the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Big Ten on Saturday in Chapel Hill.

Mack Brown takes on P.J. Fleck as their squads go head to head on ESPN in front of a sold out crowd!

Let's discuss this game and where the top picks can be found!

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Minnesota vs North Carolina Game Information

Tickets for this Saturday are SOLD OUT!

Fans still looking for tickets can visit SeatGeek, the official secondary marketplace of Carolina Athletics.

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— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) September 14, 2023

Matchup Information

• Venue & Location: Kenan Stadium (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Date: Saturday, September 16th, 2023
• Kick Off: 3:30pm Eastern
• Broadcast: ESPN

Betting Odds

Courtesy of Bovada.

Spread

• Minnesota +7 (-110)
• North Carolina -7 (-110)

Moneyline

• Minnesota +225
• North Carolina -275

Total

• Over 51 (-110)
• Under 51 (-110)

Will Drake Maye Lead Tar Heels at Home?

Both teams enter this game 2-0.

The Gophers beat Nebraska and Easter Michigan, both at home in low scoring affairs. Minnesota beat the Cornhuskers 13-10, and EMU 25-6.

North Carolina had two tough wins against South Carolina in Week 1 (31-17), and Appalachian State last Saturday (40-34).

The Tar Heels actually relied on their ground game as Omarion Hampton ran for 234 yards and 3 TDs on just 26 carries. Maye still threw for 208 yards, and added 59 yards and a TD on the ground as well.

In fact, all 5 Tar Heel touchdowns came on the ground.

Can they do the same against the Gophers?

The Gophers defense is currently 7th in the country in yards allowed per game, and 12th in points allowed, giving up just 8 per game.

They've allowed just one touchdown, but this will definitely be the best offense they've had to stop.

North Carolina is scoring 35.5 points per game, and ranks 18th in the country with 482 yards of offense per contest.

They squeaked out a win in overtime against the Mountaineers, but I think this week they come extremely focused and handle business.

The Pick: UNC -7 (-110) BetOnline

NCAAF Player Prop Bets

Drake Maye over 26.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

Maye is a great passer, but he can move around. I think Fleck with draw up some blitz packages to get him scrambling outside of the pocket.

I've got a feeling Maye can get away for 30 yards in this game. It's scary betting on a college QB's rushing yards because sacks count against them. But Maye is smart, poised in the pocket, and I doubt he gets sacked often.

I hoped on 26.5 as the rest of the market is offering 33.5 for the same price, so as always, do your line shopping.

Maye has cleared 27+ Rushing Yards in 12 of 16 games in his college career. He had 57 last game, and 25 in the season opener.

Maye has averaged 48.3 rushing yards in his L15 contests, clearing the line in 11 of those games. He averages over 12 rushing attempts per game, and I think he could bust this off in one runs if he gets the chance.

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