The No. 21 North Carolina Tar Heels and South Carolina Gamecocks will open the season against each other in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. Kickoff for the Battle of the Carolinas is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on ABC. This will be the fourth time these two programs have met in Charlotte since 2015, with two of their previous encounters being season openers and one of them being the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
North Carolina (0-0, 0-0 ACC) is already entering the fifth year of Mack Brown’s second stint as head coach and is gunning to establish itself as an ACC title contender alongside Clemson and Florida State. The Tar Heels jumped out to a 9-1 start last year and were hanging on the edge of the College Football Playoff conversation before dropping its final two regular season games. They’d get worked by Clemson in the ACC Championship Game before falling to Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. Heading into the 2023 season, the focus will be on quarterback Drake Maye, who is being touted as a potential top-five pick in next year’s NFL Draft. With former offensive coordinator Phil Longo bolting for Wisconsin in the offseason, Maye will be running the offense of new OC Chip Lindsey.
South Carolina (0-0, 0-0 SEC) is entering the third year of Shane Beamer’s tenure and is looking to take another step forward after showing progress in 2022. The Gamecocks turned some heads at the end of the regular season, pouring 63 points on Tennessee before defeating Clemson to end a seven-game losing streak to their hated rivals from upstate. Quarterback Spencer Rattler (yes, he’s still playing) is back for one final season of college football and will lead SCar into this season opener in Charlotte.
SP+ Rankings
North Carolina: 25 overall, 16 offense, 57 defense
South Carolina: 33 overall, 21 offense, 61 defense
Injury update
North Carolina
WR Devontez Walker – Questionable (Eligibility)
TE Julien Randolph – Out for season (Lower body)
DB Lejond Cavazos – Out indefinitely (Lower body)
OL RJ Grigsby – Out indefinitely (Lower body)
South Carolina
TE Connor Cox – Questionable (Undisclosed)
TE Reid Mikeska – Out (Undisclosed)
WR Eddie Lewis – Probable (Undisclosed)
WR Antwane Wells Jr. – Probable (Lower body)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2022 (check here)
North Carolina: 6-7-1 ATS
South Carolina: 7-6 ATS
Total in 2022 (check here)
North Carolina: Over 6-8
South Carolina: Over 8-5
Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: North Carolina -2.5
Total: 64.5
Moneyline: North Carolina -142, South Carolina +120
Opening line: North Carolina -2.5
Opening total: 64.5
Weather
66 degrees, clear, 5 MPH winds S
The Pick
Over 64.5
Both of these teams are bringing experienced quarterbacks into this season opener and that should make for a fun show in Charlotte. Will the play be sloppy at times? Yes. Will there be defensive lapses and blown coverages? Also yes, and that’s what can make some of these openers entertaining. I expect these two teams to blow past the over here, so lock it in.