Syracuse vs. North Carolina Prediction
ACC foes square off in Chapel Hill this Saturday afternoon when North Carolina hosts Syracuse at 12:00 p.m. ET. Are the Tar Heels laying too many points to their conference rivals as 22.5-point favorites? Or will Mack Brown’s team roll?
Game Snapshot
395 Syracuse Orange (+22.5) at 396 North Carolina (-22.5); o/u 65.5
12:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, September 12, 2020
ACC Network, Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Syracuse Orange Game Notes
Syracuse senior RB Abdul Adams and junior RB Jarveon Howard have opted out of playing this season due to COVID-19 concerns. Neither Adams nor Howard were listed on the two-deep released by the team on Monday, and now we know the exact reason why. In total four Syracuse players have opted out, with LB Tyrell Richards and DL Cooper Dawson being the others. With Adams and Howard no longer in the team’s plans, Jawhar Jordan and Markenzy Pierre occupy the top two spots on the depth chart at running back.
North Carolina Tar Heels Game Notes
North Carolina will not allow fans to attend home games at the start of the season. “This decision was the only way we could move forward with competition. Our student-athletes want to play, and we must do so as safely as possible,” said UNC AD Bubba Cunningham. North Carolina — as an institution — has been absolutely ravaged by COVID-19 positives this month, to the point where they have been forced to move all classes to remote formats. The athletic department’s decision to open with the fan-less approach stands in stark contrast to fellow ACC outfit Clemson’s call this week to allow 19,000 fans into Memorial Stadium for home games. UNC is hopeful that fans might be allowed to attend games later in the fall. But they’re taking no chances at the start.
Syracuse vs. North Carolina Betting Prediction
I don’t see Syracuse moving the ball much but I also don’t want to lay three-plus touchdowns with a UNC team that had its preparation time cut into in the latter part of August due to a campus-wide issue with the coronavirus. Thus, I see the under being the play on Saturday. The Orange are banged up along their offensive line and must shift senior tight end Chris Elmore inside to left guard for the opener versus the Tar Heels. While Elmore is a versatile player, playing fullback, tight end and defensive tackle throughout his career, but his move to guard shows how much ‘Cuse is in a pinch with its offensive line. If the O-line struggles, the entire offense is likely to struggle and this is already a team with multiple running backs opting out of playing this season. While the Tar Heels should score plenty, I don’t see how the Orange contribute enough offensively to push the total over the current number.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 2 PREDICTION: SYRACUSE/NORTH CAROLINA UNDER 65.5