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How and what to watch for Western Carolina vs. North Carolina

North Carolina will get a tune-up game on Saturday against Western Carolina.

Sam Howell of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks to pass against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half of their game at Kenan Stadium on November 27, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

In a game that should be a cakewalk for the 17th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, they will play the Western Carolina Catamounts Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET in Chapel Hill, NC.

The Tar Heels (6-3) lost last week to the second-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31-17 at home. UNC’s offense struggled in this one as quarterback Sam Howell only had 211 yards and a touchdown, while the ground game recording 87 yards and a touchdown. Howell, who has played outstanding this season, should likely get back on track against a WCU team that has given up 58 and 49 points in their only two games played.

The Catamounts last played before the Thanksgiving holiday, losing 49-17 to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. Western Carolina’s defense allowed Colonels QB Isaiah Velez to throw for 310 yards and two touchdowns. They also gave up 217 rushing yards, which is great news for UNC’s running back duo of Michael Carter and Javonte Williams.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Western Carolina vs. North Carolina on Saturday, December 5th at 12:00 p.m. ET on the ACC Network, or you can stream it via the ESPN app with a cable or streaming service login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Western Carolina vs. North Carolina (-49.5)
Point Total: 70.5
Money line: Western Carolina vs. North Carolina (N/A)

  • Going back to last season, Western Carolina out of the FCS has a record of 0-10 in its last 10 games.
  • The point total went over in eight of Western Carolina’s last 11 games.
  • Surprisingly, the UNC Tar Heels have a record of 2-4 against the spread in its last six games.
  • The point total went over in four of North Carolina’s last five games.

Betting splits

Western Carolina: (80% of handle, 77% percent of bets)
North Carolina: (20% of handle, 23% percent of bets)

The Best Bet

This is probably one of the easiest bets this weekend in the college football. After coming off of a tough loss to Notre Dame last week, the Tar Heels will be looking to put up a lot of points against Western Carolina. But not enough to get to 11 scores by themselves.

Pick: Under 70.5

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