UNC Opens as Two-Score Favorites vs. Syracuse

The North Carolina Tar Heels improved to 4-2 after stringing together impressive victories over then-ranked No. 25 Pittsburgh and Duke.

Not only did UNC win both of those games, but both were on the road, making the accomplishment for Bill Belichick and Co. even more impressive.

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After dropping a heartbreaking game in overtime last season to No. 16 Virginia, Belichick made sure this team’s loss to No. 3 Notre Dame on Oct. 3 didn’t break them.

Sure enough, UNC is suddenly two games over .500 and could be in the ACC Conference Championship game if everything goes according to plan.

Obviously, that would mean they more than likely have to take down No. 1 Miami, but for now, all eyes must be on Syracuse as that’s the next team standing in the Tar Heels’ way.

When DraftKings first dropped the odds, UNC opened as 9.5-point favorites. Seeing as this is a home game for the Tar Heels, that makes complete sense.

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This is a Syracuse team that sits at 2-4, and it’s worth noting all four of those losses are in conference play.

The Orange are in the midst of their second two-game skid of the year, but they put up a fight as they only lost to UVA by three points and then fell to Louisville by eight.

As of Monday, Oct. 19, UNC is listed as 8.5-point favorites, so that’s still a sizeable margin for a team that has only lost by more than double digits once this season.

This could be the definition of a trap game, as yes, Syracuse is 2-4 and hasn’t won a game since Oct. 3, but they also very well could come to Kenan Stadium and shock the world.

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ESPN Analytics doesn’t think so, as they give UNC a generous 78.6% winning percentage, but crazier things have happened in college football.

Syracuse opened the 2026 season with a dominant 66-3 win vs. New Hampshire, and while the Wildcats aren’t up to par with the teams in the ACC, no one can take anything away from an offense that dropped 66 points to start the year.

UNC is taking on a defense that has only allowed more…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/unc-opens-two-score-favorites-110048679.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-20 11:00:00

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