Notre Dame and North Carolina have only met 20 times, most occurring prior to 1975, so their meeting on Friday hardly shapes up as a rivalry. Yet with the 25th-ranked Tar Heels boasting a powerful offense, they loom as an obstacle between the No. 2 Fighting Irish and the ACC championship.

That’s evident in the college football betting point spread, which opened with Notre Dame as a 5.5-point favorite and was bet down to -3.5 before it jumped back up to -4.5. Regardless, anything in that range is a little eye-opening given that the Golden Domers have played just two games this season decided by a touchdown or less—and Notre Dame both, including a 2OT thriller over then-No. 1 Clemson.

So the oddsmakers think this one will be close. And with a total of 64.5, they think it will be high-scoring. They’re likely right on one of those counts; so let’s explore the best bets on the best game this week.

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Best Notre Dame vs North Carolina Betting Lines & Picks

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Notre Dame vs North Carolina Spread Prediction

No question, North Carolina’s offensive numbers are eye-popping: 43.1 points per game, 329.9 passing yards per game, 563.4 total yards per game. Quarterback Sam Howell, a sophomore with a big arm and an NFL future, is tearing it up. The Heels want this to be a shootout so they can put pressure on Fighting Irish quarterback Ian Book and a Notre Dame offense that isn’t exactly built to run up and down the field. But Howell has been sacked 19 times over his past six games and UNC hasn’t seen anything like this dominant Notre Dame defensive line. Howell also been intercepted four times in his past five games.

Notre Dame, which has covered three of its past four, has the best defense in the ACC. The Tar Heels have one of the worst — they score all those points, but then they have to. With any point spread less than a touchdown, you take the Irish and don’t think twice. Wager on the Fighting Irish to cover with William Hill.

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Notre Dame vs North Carolina Moneyline Pick

Credit to Tar Heels coach Mack Brown, who has reinvigorated a program that had cratered under his predecessor Larry Fedora. North Carolina has made progress in each of Brown’s first two seasons, evident this year with victories over two ranked opponents, Virginia Tech and N.C. State. The Hokies, though, have since lost four of five and now sport a losing record. The Wolfpack arrived in Chapel Hill one game after losing their starting quarterback.

Those are mid-tier ACC teams at best — a clear step below the Irish. Notre Dame, after slogging through some early COVID-19 issues, have knocked off Clemson and steamrolled three other league opponents. And with just 3,500 fans allowed into Chapel Hill’s Kenan Stadium, they’ll be no real home-field advantage for the Heels. Back the Fighting Irish at Caesars.

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Notre Dame vs North Carolina Totals Betting

Book often gets knocked for being a game-manager quarterback, but he has passed for over 300 yards twice in his past four outings. Notre Dame, typecast as a team built around a good offensive line and a strong defense, has put up 45, 47, 31 and 45 points over the past four games. The point total has gone over in three of those four games.

Not surprisingly, North Carolina has gone over the total in four straight, even eclipsing a total of 71 last week against Wake Forest — to whom UNC gave up 53 points (gulp). Expect scoring early and often, the Irish to pull away late, and Notre Dame to win by a score in the neighborhood of 48-35. Bet the Over with DraftKings.

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