North Carolina Tar Heels vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Prediction, 8/29/2024 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: North Carolina Tar Heels vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024

Location: Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Golden Gophers (+2)

Total/Over-Under: 50.5

The North Carolina Tar Heels (8-5 last year) are headed to Huntington Bank Stadium on Thursday, August 29, 2024 where they will meet the Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-7 last season). Minnesota is 1.5-point dogs. The over/under has been set at 50.5.

The North Carolina Tar Heels ended the season having a 8-5 record. The last time they stepped onto the field, the Tar Heels faced the West Virginia Mountaineers and went home with a loss by a final score of 30-10. At the end of the game, they ran 68 plays which gave them 339 yards. The North Carolina Tar Heels rushed the ball a total of 41 times and accrued 140 yds, which had them averaging 3.4 yards per tote. In the running game, the Tar Heels conceded 164 yards on 30 attempts, which is 5.5 yards per run allowed. North Carolina allowed 12 completions on 23 attempts for 228 yards, and a completion percentage of 52.2%.

When it comes to scoring points, the North Carolina Tar Heels were sitting at 34.5 PPG. As a team they held an average of 192.7 yds via the ground game, which was 19th in the nation. The Tar Heels tallied 6,386 total yards for the prior campaign. North Carolina totaled 26 passing touchdowns and 29 touchdowns via the ground. North Carolina amassed 320 1st downs as a team, and they committed 94 penalties for 862 yds. They surrendered the ball 17 times.

Concerning passing yards, the Tar Heels gave up 3,136 yds which had them sitting in 108th in the nation. During their 13 games played last year, they yielded 241.2 yards per contest through the air in addition to relinquishing a completion percentage of 62.0%. They gave up 404.4 yards/game which had them ranked 98th in the country. They conceded 20 touchdowns via the pass in addition to 21 running touchdowns. They allowed teams to run for an average of 4.2 yards per rushing attempt and 163.2 rushing yards per contest last season. Overall, they conceded 2,122 rushing yards through 13 games. The Tar Heels sat in 75th in D-1 regarding team defense, allowing 27.3 points per game.

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The Golden Gophers wrapped up their year with a 6-7 mark. When they last stepped on the gridiron, the Golden Gophers took home the win by a final score of 30-24 when they played the Bowling Green Falcons. Minnesota rushed for 5.8 yards per carry, finishing with 255 yards on 44 carries. The Golden Gophers finished the contest with a total of 281 yards while running 60 plays (4.7 yards per play). The Golden Gophers passing defense gave up a completion percentage of 55.3%, surrendering 221 yds on 21 for 38 through the air. Minnesota gave up 21 attempts on the ground for 82 yds (3.9 yards per rush).

In relation to their ability to score points, the Golden Gophers ranked 110th in the country with a maintained average of 20.9 PPG. The Minnesota Golden Gophers maintained an average of 300.9 yards per outing, which had them ranked 125th in the country. The Minnesota offense compiled 352 penalty yards on 39 infractions, which had them ranked 133rd in Division 1 in terms of making mistakes. They threw 10 interceptions while losing 7 fumbles and they earned 237 1st downs. For the previous season, the Golden Gophers racked up 1,864 passing yards along with averaging 143.4 passing yards per game, ranking them 126th in college football. They averaged 157.5 yards per game via the ground game and rushed for 2,048 yards in total.

Minnesota allowed the opposition a total of 1,938 yards via the ground game (149.1 yards per outing) and 20 touchdowns rushing throughout last year. They conceded 23 touchdowns through the air in addition to 219.3 yards/game, which had them in 59th in D-1. Their defense totaled 7 fumbles and 12 picks in the prior season. The Golden Gophers defense took the field for 805 plays, which ranked 37th in Division 1. The Golden Gophers relinquished 26.7 PPG, which had them in 70th in D-1. Last year, they conceded 347 total points.

Who will win tonight's Tar Heels/Golden Gophers college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Tar Heels -1.5

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