2023 North Carolina Tar Heels Football Betting Guide for the Season

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When we talk about the University of North Carolina and ACC championships, we’re usually talking about men’s college basketball. However, the Tar Heels have an elite quarterback in Drake Maye, leading an offense that features solid depth at tailback and some wide receivers transferring in to fill the shoes of Josh Downs. The questions that North Carolina has to answer come on the defensive side of the ball, as the team permitted 30.8 points per contest last year. Let’s break down the offense, defense and special teams at North Carolina as you consider your college football betting strategy for the 2023 NCAAF season.

NCAA Football Betting News: North Carolina Tar Heels 2023 Season Betting Preview

Elite quarterback play

Drake Maye was named ACC Player of the Year in 2022, and he is back to do more damage against ACC defenses. The Tar Heels finished second in the nation with 358.5 offensive yards gained per contest. They were also third in the ACC in points scored per game. Nate McCollum (Georgia Tech) and Tez Walker (Kent State) are the two transfers who have arrived to give Maye quality targets down the field. The offense has three tight ends who combined for eight scores and 1,087 receiving yards last year, and tailback Elijah Green (558 rushing yards, 8 TD) is just the best of a group of dangerous running backs. Chip Lindsey has arrived as the new offensive coordinator after Phil Longo departed to join Luke Fickell at Wisconsin. Lindsey does not plan to abandon the high-octane passing game, but he does plan to boost the intimidation that the rushing attack brings. On the O-line, the Tar Heels have four starters returning, and each are beginning their fifth (or greater) year of college football.

Fixing that defense

No team allowed more points and yards in the ACC than North Carolina did last year. The run defense was next to last in yards permitted per play in the ACC, last in passing yards permitted, last in pass efficiency permitted, and last in sacks. The top returning players are Power Echols and Cedric Gray, linebackers who each topped 100 tackles during the season. The D-line needs to step up after coming in 128th out of 131 FBS teams in sacks and 129th in tackles for loss. The team has already said that blitzing will increase, but that will put a focus on the secondary – a year that saw six players enter the transfer portal after last season. Alijah Huzzie (East Tennessee State) and Armani Chatman (Virginia Tech) have transferred in at cornerback, and they will have their work cut out for them.

Progress on special teams

Punter Ben Kiernan led the ACC in punting (46.8 yards per kick), and the team was second in the ACC in net punting. The return game was also exciting, as the team was second in punt returns and did well on kick returns, thanks to the dynamic speed of George Pettaway. Noah Burnette returns as the placekicker, but Cincinnati transfer Ryan Coe gave him a lot of competition in spring ball and no starter has been named.

The Tar Heels started 9-1 last year, going 4-0 in games decided by no more than three points. They finished 0-4 – including an 0-3 mark in games decided by no more than four points. Can the defense hold at crucial moments? Can the team finish close contests? That will determine how high the Tar Heels rise in the ACC.

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