Thursday, Week 1 of the college football season kicks off with 21 games. There are annually just a handful of games with a spread you can count on one hand. One of those tight spreads will play out in Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium where the Golden Gophers open their season against the Tar Heels of North Carolina.
It is a rematch of last year’s season opener. UNC rolled the Golden Gophers 31-13 in Chapel Hill to open the 2023 season. The difference in the game? Drake Maye. You may have heard of him. He threw for over 400 yards while Minnesota as a team threw for fewer than 140 yards.
Neither team is currently ranked in the NBC Sports Bet Top 25. Each is expecting to see improvement from a season ago. North Carolina finished 8-5 overall and 4-4 in the ACC while Minnesota finished with an overall record of 6-7 including 3-6 in the Big Ten.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first-pitch, projected pitching matchup, lineup cards, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insights weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
Game details & how to watch Tar Heels vs. Golden Gophers live Thursday
● Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024
● Time: 8PM EST
● Site: Huntington Bank Stadium
● City: Minneapolis, MN
● TV/Streaming: FOX
Game odds for North Carolina vs. Minnesota
The latest odds as of Wednesday midday courtesy of BetMGM:
● Money Line: North Carolina Tar Heels (-130), Minnesota Golden Gophers (+110)
● Spread: Tar Heels -1.5
● Total: 50.5
College Football talk is taking over Bet the Edge every Thursday throughout the season. Bet the EDGE is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Vaughn Dalzell, Eric Froton, and Brad Thomas’ insights Thursdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
NBC Sports Betting Analyst Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) likes the Golden Gophers on the Moneyline in this one:
“Minnesota returns four full-time starters on the offensive line. There are question marks about the availability of Darius Taylor, but new transfer backs Sieh Bangura and Marcus Major should fill that void. PJ Fleck as a home dog is something I’m excited to back.”
Recent betting stats for the Atlantic Coast Conference and BIG TEN per John Ewing of BetMGM
ACC
● Favorites: Clemson +275
● Highest Ticket%: Miami 23.8%
● Highest Handle%: Miami 28.4%
● Biggest Liability: Miami
Big Ten
● Favorites: Ohio State +150
● Highest Ticket%: Penn State 33.7%
● Highest Handle%: Ohio State 55.4%
● Biggest Liability: Ohio State
Names to Know for UNC vs. Minnesota
○ Tar Heels: Max Johnson – Senior who began his college career with LSU before transferring and spending a couple seasons in College Station with the Aggies of Texas A&M. He has thrown for 5800 career yards and accounted for 47 TDs but also 12 interceptions
○ Golden Gophers: Max Brosmer – transfer from New Hampshire who put up big numbers with the Wildcats. In 36 games, Brosmer has thrown for 8,713 yards and 70 TDs
Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest player news from the NFL and MLB. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Tar Heels vs. Golden Gophers on August 29, 2024
● Minnesota is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games
● The UNDER was 7-6 in Minnesota’s games last season
● The Tar Heels of UNC were 6-7 ATS last season
● As favorites of 1.5 points or more last season, the North Carolina went 6-5 ATS
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our College Football Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for Thursday’s North Carolina vs. Minnesota game
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s Tar Heels vs. Golden Gophers game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports is leaning towards a play on Minnesota on the Moneyline
- Spread: NBC Sports is recommending a play on Minnesota taking the points
- Total Points: NBC Sports is leaning towards a play on the Total UNDER 50.5 points
Want even more college football best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert College Football Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and total picks for each of the games on today’s calendar!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
