The No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels will be eyeing another double-digit victory when they host the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Saturday evening. UNC used a big third quarter to cruise to a 31-17 win over South Carolina last week, covering the 2.5-point spread in the Duke's Mayo Classic. Appalachian State is coming off a strong performance as well, beating Gardner-Webb in a 45-24 final. North Carolina won a 63-61 thriller when these teams met at Appalachian State last September.
Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill. North Carolina is favored by 18 points in the latest North Carolina vs. Appalachian State odds, while the over/under is set at 58 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Appalachian State vs. North Carolina picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. The proprietary computer model is off to a fast 4-2 start on all top-rated college football picks this season. Since its inception, it has generated a stunning profit of more than $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on App. State vs. UNC: You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for the game:
- North Carolina vs. Appalachian State spread: North Carolina -18
- North Carolina vs. Appalachian State over/under: 58 points
- North Carolina vs. Appalachian State money line: North Carolina: -961, App. State: +614
- North Carolina vs. Appalachian State picks: See picks here
Why North Carolina can cover
North Carolina's improved defense was on full display last week, registering nine sacks in its 31-17 win over South Carolina. Linebacker Kaimon Rucker had 5.5 tackles for loss against the Gamecocks, leading the strong effort. Quarterback Drake Maye completed 24 of 32 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, while senior running back British Brooks had 103 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Sophomore wide receiver Kobe Paysour was Maye's top target, catching seven passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. The Tar Heels are 4-0 in home openers under head coach Mack Brown since 2019. They have won 15 of their last 20 home games overall and are 8-2 in their last 10 games played in Week 2.
Why Appalachian State can cover
Appalachian State's offense scored 61 points against North Carolina last year, so it will be confident entering this contest. The Mountaineers scored 40 points and recorded 18 first downs in the fourth quarter of that game. They picked up a 34-31 win over North Carolina four years ago, giving them a 95-94 scoring edge in the last two meetings between these teams.
Backup quarterback Joey Aguilar will make the start due to Ryan Burger's hand injury that he suffered in the opener. Aguilar, a transfer from Diablo Valley Community College, completed 11 of 13 passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns against Gardner-Webb. He became Appalachian State's first quarterback to throw at least four touchdown passes in his first game. See which team to pick here.
How to make North Carolina vs. Appalachian State picks
The model has simulated Appalachian State vs. North Carolina 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins North Carolina vs. Appalachian State, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Appalachian State vs. North Carolina spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that's up more than $2,500 on its top-rated college football spread picks since its inception, and find out.
