College Football Betting Preview
Notre Dame (4-1) at North Carolina (4-1)
Saturday, 3:30 pm Eastern – ABC

SBG Global Opening Line: North Carolina -  7  ,  Total  TBA

The North Carolina Tar Heels are off to their best start since 1997 and back in the Top 25 for the first time since 2001.  To stay in the rankings they will have to defeat a Notre Dame team that is 4-1. “Our kids are doing a great job of keeping things in perspective,” North Carolina coach Butch Davis said. “We’re just kind of chipping away, trying to get better every week and trying to play 12 consecutive one-game schedules.” SBG Global reports that early College Football betting has the public taking Notre Dame on the Road.

The Irish could be just a win away from entering the rankings. “I think we’re on the cusp,” head coach Charlie Weis said. “I can’t worry about the polls, but you go beat North Carolina at North Carolina, I’d say the odds are you’ll be in the Top 25 next week.”  The Irish have been relying a lot upon quarterback Jimmy Clausen who threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns last week.  They would like to be more balanced this week. “If you become a one-dimensional team, eventually you’re going to get hurt. Especially when you’re ineffective on third-and-1,” Weis said. “You have to be able to run the football and you definitely need to be more productive on third-and-1 than we’ve been.”

Notre Dame has owned the series against North Carolina.  They have won 16 of the 17 meetings with the only loss coming in 1960.  The teams have only played once since 1975 and that was in 2006 as Notre Dame won 45-26 at home.  Here are more College Football betting stats for Saturday’s game.  The Fighting Irish are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games on grass. The Fighting Irish are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games. The Fighting Irish are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 games in October. The Fighting Irish are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Fighting Irish are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 vs. the ACC.

SBG Global Current Line: North Carolina -  7.5  ,  Total  TBA

 The Tar Heels are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games. The Tar Heels are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in October. The Tar Heels are 9-3 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Tar Heels are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games.

The Under is 7-0 in Notre Dame’s last 7 road games. The Under is 6-0 in Notre Dame’s last 6 vs. the ACC. The Under is 12-5 in Notre Dame’s last 17 non-conference games. The Under is 4-1 in the Tar Heels last 5 home games. The Over is 5-2 in the Tar Heels last 7 games overall.

Pick: ND 2 out of 5 units

College Football picks are off to a great start with a 10-2 Record and +16.60unit profit.

North Carolina at Rutgers
Thursday, 7:30 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Rutgers  -  4.5 ,  Total  44.5

Two teams looking for the national spotlight hook up on Thursday night as Rutgers hosts North Carolina.  The Tar Heels are looking for a rebirth under head coach Butch Davis while Rutgers wants to stay on the national stage with head coach Greg Schiano.  Davis and Schiano are good friends as Schiano was the defensive coordinator under Davis at Miami.  The game is being played on September 11^th in New York so there will be a moment of silence before the game.

SBG Global reports that early NCAA Football betting has the public taking Rutgers at Home.

The Scarlet Knights come into the game off a loss so this could be considered a must-win game although head coach Schiano does not believe that is the case.  “It’s not a must win for Rutgers, I don’t know if it is for North Carolina or not. To me, there is no such thing as a ‘must-win.’ We just go out and play the best we can, and if it’s good enough to beat the team we’re playing, then it is, and if it isn’t, then we have to go back to work. The world does not come to an end if we lose it and it doesn’t get better if we win.” North Carolina believes the game is huge for their program though. “Thursday night games are for established programs and programs on the rise,” said senior safety Trimane Goddard.

Here are the NCAA Football betting stats for Thursday’s game.  The Tar Heels are 2-5 ATS vs. a team with a losing record. The Tar Heels are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games in September. The Tar Heels are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Big East.

SBG Global Current Line: Rutgers  -  5 ,  Total  46.5              

The Scarlet Knights are 10-2-1 ATS in their last 13 non-conference games. The Scarlet Knights are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games. The Scarlet Knights are 8-3 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Scarlet Knights are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Scarlet Knights are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games. The Scarlet Knights are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games on grass.  Rutgers leads the all-time series 3-0 against North Carolina with the last meeting being in 2006 when they won by a score of 21-16.

The Over is 5-2 in the Tar Heels last 7 vs. the Big East. The Over is 15-7-1 in the Tar Heels last 23 road games. The Over is 5-1 in the Scarlet Knights last 6 Thursday games.

Pick: Rutgers -5 2units

Final Four Betting Preview
Kansas (35-3) vs. North Carolina (36-2)
Saturday, 6:05 pm Eastern – CBS

SBG Global Opening Line: North Carolina   - 2, Total 158

 

Two teams with a lot of Final Four experience meet on Saturday as Kansas takes on North Carolina.  The Tar Heels are making their 17^th Final Four appearance and that is tied for most in history with UCLA.  North Carolina head coach Roy Williams is making his fourth Final Four appearance in the least seven years and is facing his former team.  The Tar Heels have an all-time record of 13-14 in Final Four games.  They are 8-8 in national semifinal games and 4-4 in championships games and 1-2 in third places games that used to be played. Kansas has advanced to the Final Four for the 13^th time in school history and third time in the last seven years. The Jayhawks own a 9-12 record in the Final Four going 7-5 in semifinal games, 2-5 in championship games and 0-2 in consolation games. SBG Global reports that the public taking North Carolina at Home.

 

Kansas has won a school-record tying 35 games this season. Kansas leads the nation in scoring margin (+19.4), while ranking in the top five in the country in assists, field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense and win-loss percentage. The Jayhawks feature four players scoring in double figures. Brandon Rush leads the team with a 13.1 scoring average followed by Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers, both at 12.7 and Darnell Jackson at 11.2.

 

The North Carolina frontcourt has National Player of the Year winner Tyler Hansbrough leading the way.  He will score a lot of points and dominate inside.  Kansas will rotate players and try and throw bodies at him all night.  The backcourt matchup has Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins, and Russell Robinson for Kansas against Carolina’s talented point guard Ty Lawson.  Wayne Ellington can also shoot the ball for Carolina and he could be a major factor on Saturday.

SBG Global Current Line: North Carolina   - 3, Total 160

 

Here are the stats for Saturday’s game.  The Jayhawks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog. The Jayhawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. The Jayhawks are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games. The Jayhawks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 vs. the ACC.

 

The Tar Heels are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 NCAA Tournament games. The Tar Heels are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. the Big 12. The Tar Heels are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 Saturday games. The Tar Heels are 42-17-1 ATS in their last 60 non-conference games.

 

The Under is 4-0 in the Jayhawks last 4 neutral site games. The Under is 6-0 in the Jayhawks last 6 NCAA Tournament games. The Under is 35-16-1 in the Jayhawks last 52 non-conference games.

 

The Over is 4-1 in the Tar Heels last 5 neutral site games. The Over is 4-1 in the Tar Heels last 5 vs. the Big 12. The Over is 8-3 in the Tar Heels last 11 non-conference games. The Over is 20-8-1 in the Tar Heels last 29 games as a favorite.

 

Pick: Take UNC -3 and Over 160 5units each! For more Final Four discussion visit the College Basketball Betting Forum.