North Carolina vs Georgia Tech Odds, Picks, and Predictions: Tar Heels Turn It Around vs. Yellow Jackets

Saturday’s ACC matchup between North Carolina and Georgia Tech is significant, as the outcome has potential conference championship, FBS playoff, and postseason bowl game implications. 

Both schools need to win to reach their postseason goals. North Carolina saw its FBS playoff hopes hit a snag after suffering a 31-27 home loss to Virginia last week. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech is three wins away from bowl eligibility but has its backs to the wall with five games remaining on its schedule. 

Please join me as I break down the college football odds with my free college football picks and predictions for North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech for Saturday, October 28.

North Carolina vs Georgia Tech best odds

North Carolina vs Georgia Tech picks and predictions

Saturday should be filled with offense as two of the best quarterbacks in the ACC are squaring off against shaky defenses. North Carolina QB Drake Maye and Georgia Tech QB Haynes King can sling the football, and the potential of a high-scoring affair should make this contest fun to watch.

Both groups are coming off disappointing losses. North Carolina suffered a 31-27 home loss to Virginia, possibly ending its FBS playoff hopes. Maye threw a costly interception that ended a possible game-winning drive, hurting the Tar Heels' National Championship odds and possibly his already slim Heisman odds.

King threw three interceptions in the Yellow Jackets' 38-23 home loss to Boston College. King and the offense struggled while the Georgia Tech defense allowed Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos to scamper for 128 yards and a pair of scores. The defense allowed 563 total yards, including 303 rushing yards, and couldn’t make a stop when they needed to. 

The Georgia Tech defense has been a problem all season. King and the offense are Top 40 in total yards, but the defense can’t seem to stop anyone and has allowed 30 or more points in four of their seven games.

The Yellow Jackets' defense is the second-worst nationally against the rush, 65th against the pass, and as a result, Georgia Tech ranks 104th in points allowed per game. 

North Carolina boasts an offense that scores the 17th-most points in the nation, scoring 31 or more in each of their seven games. That will be problematic for the Yellow Jackets and a good thing for Maye and the Tar Heels’ offense.

Maye directs this group and ranks eighth nationally in passing yards. Tar Heels wideout Tez Walker has consecutive receiving games over 100 yards, and running back Omarion Hampton has consecutive rushing games over 100 yards. The offensive line is better than average with just 18 sacks allowed, and it’s all systems go for the North Carolina offense.

Saturday is a big one for North Carolina, and I expect the offense to be sharper than last week and to utilize Hampton more than the 19 carries he had against Virginia. Georgia Tech hasn’t stopped anyone on the ground yet this season, and if Hampton starts going off, then Maye and the passing game will also take off. King and the Yellow Jackets offense will have difficulties keeping up with the Tar Heels on the scoreboard, making it difficult to cover the 11-point spread, let alone win this game.

Finally, this is a bad defensive matchup for the Yellow Jackets, not to mention a less-than-confident King coming off a three-interception home game. Maye and his offense should roll while the North Carolina defense gets the necessary stops for the offense to score enough to cover.

My best bet: North Carolina -11 (-112 at DraftKings)
Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.

North Carolina vs Georgia Tech same-game parlay

North Carolina -11

North Carolina 1H TT Over 19.5

North Carolina Over 4.5 TDs

+172 at DraftKings

This SGP doesn’t have the best odds for a three-leg parlay, but it all fits nicely. 

If I have analyzed this game correctly, the Tar Heels will put up a big number against a bad Georgia Tech defense. North Carolina averages 19.1 points in the first half and is 3-1 to the Over during its last four first halves. I expect Maye and his offense to come out firing, and scoring 21 or more first-half points is a very real possibility against the Yellow Jackets. 

I doubt that North Carolina will score fewer than five touchdowns. The Georgia Tech defense is lousy, and the Tar Heels should be able to move the ball and find the end zone against a defense yielding a point every 14.1 yards and 3.7 TDs per contest. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

North Carolina vs Georgia Tech spread and Over/Under analysis

DraftKings opened North Carolina -11.5, but that number was bet down to -11, and I’m not sure why. The moneyline also dropped 60 cents from -485 to -425. 

The half-point drop at DraftKings works well for us, and I believe we will end up on the right side of the number as there are mainly -11.5s in many shops, including Pinnacle, and it’s likely bettors will be hammering North Carolina as we get closer to kickoff. 

Risking $425 to win $100 isn’t my cup of tea, but North Carolina should win, and there is a bit of value here. Typically, an 11-point moneyline would be -450, so there is some value in -425 at DraftKings.

DraftKings opened the total at 63.5. The bettors hit it a bit, and now we have a 64-point total. I’m a bit afraid of the total here. The Under is 4-0 over the Tar Heels’ past four games, and the Over is 2-2 over the Yellow Jackets’ past four. 

The total in the last five head-to-head meetings between the two is 2-2-1, which doesn’t offer much help either, and that is why I avoided this market.

North Carolina vs Georgia Tech betting trend to know

North Carolina is 4-1 ATS over its last five games. Find more college football betting trends for North Carolina vs Georgia Tech.

North Carolina vs Georgia Tech game info

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