Louisville Cardinals (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) vs. North Carolina Tarheels (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS)
College Football Week 2
Date/Time: Saturday, September 9th, 12:00pm
Where: Kenan Stadium – Chapel Hill, NC
TV: ESPN
by Bob, NCAA Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: LOU -10 / UNC +10
Over/Under Total: 63
Week one of college football was interesting. We had some great games go down to the wire, huge comebacks, and some historic upsets. It will be tough for week two to top it, but I have faith we will see some great games. Among some of the better games in my opinion, will be this one…the first ACC game for both UNC and Louisville. Not that I consider these teams major players in the national title picture, but I have a good sense this will be a very competitive and fun game to tune into at noon on ESPN.
Louisville handled their business in the opening week of the season defeating Purdue 35-28. The final was not what many expected and of course, Louisville did not cover on the road, but I do not put much stock into that, this is still a talented team especially on offense. As for the Tarheels of North Carolina, not a very good start to 2017. UNC started the season 0-1 with a loss to Cal by a score of 35-30. We knew the Carolina offense would need some time to find their groove after losing Mitch Trubisky to graduation, but a loss to Cal was not in the plans by the UNC fans. With that said, I do believe this Tarheels team is still a pretty solid squad that could cause some issues for anyone who is not prepared on any given Saturday.
This will be the eighth all time meeting between these two programs and the first since 2012. Louisville won the last contest between these two and leads the all-time series, 4-3 overall. This game opens with Louisville as a ten point road favorite and the total points are set at 63 total combined. As of early Tuesday morning, many of the bettors laying early bets jumped all over Louisville as 63% of the documented action was on the Cardinals. As for total points, it was about the same amount of people laying their wagers on the over.
Louisville comes into the game as a ten point favorite as I already mentioned. They will be facing a very hungry and angry North Carolina team and if the Cardinals plan to go 2-0 overall and get their first ACC win, the defense will need to step up and do a better job. We all know that Lamar Jackson and the offense will put up numbers and score, but Louisville cannot count on this type of production week in and week out if they have any plans to pull the upset for the ACC Title. The defense MUST help out. Against Purdue, the Cardinals D allowed 28 points, however, this cannot be completely blamed on the defense. Yes, the Cardinals offense put up good numbers but they also were plagued with turnovers along the way. Three fumbles to be exact. They were able to escape Purdue with those mishaps, there are not many other teams on their schedule that they can be so lucky and that includes this UNC team. Lamar Jackson needs to play solid football, the WRs and RBs need to protect the ball, and the Louisville defense needs to get stops. Everyone is prepared for this game to be in the 30s by both teams, I do not think Louisville wants that. If UNC gets 28-30 points then it is ANYONE’S game.
The Tarheels expected to take a few steps back this season but they still have a talented team that should not be overlooked in 2017. Once UNC cleans up some of the mistakes, I can see them hanging in with much of the ACC from here on out. However, two interceptions and a fumble will not bode well against Louisville. That is the key this weekend. Regardless of who plays QB whether it be Chazz Surratt or Brandon Harris, turnovers need to be eliminated. With solid and mistake free play on offense and a defense that can at least force a few stops, I think this game can end up being rather competitive.
UNC is coming off a bad loss and Louisville off of a bad win. Do I think the Tarheels beat Louisville? No. But I do think that a ten point spread is a little too much after what I saw in week one with these two teams. I like the Cardinals to improve to 2-0 but I think North Carolina keeps this one within reach for the long haul.
Bob’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: TAKE THE UNC TARHEELS +10
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