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No.2 Notre Dame hits the road for a kickoff Friday at No.19 North Carolina as the Fighting Irish look to preserve their undefeated record against a Tar Heels team that ranks among the highest offenses. powers of the country. This game is huge not only as ND continues to build its CV, but also as the UNC looks to bounce back from starting the season as one of the most talked about teams in the country.
The Fighting Irish have also been superb on offense in their last two outings, scoring 47 points in the win over Clemson and 45 points over Boston College. Ian Book completed 20 of 27 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns with a record 85 rushing yards, no sacks and no interceptions in the victory over the Eagles, continuing what has been a fantastic quarterback football streak. veteran. The Book piece came at the perfect time, with the Irish rising to number one in the ACC rankings in this one year of competition.
North Carolina’s ranking in the top 20 on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee is good news for Notre Dame, as it came six places higher than the Tar Heels’ place in the AP Top 25 poll. suggests that the committee place a lot of importance on North Carolina and their 6-2 profile which only includes two three-point losses, even though they have come to unranked teams.
A victory for the Irish will strengthen their CV in the eyes of the committee while a loss may not do as much damage. But should the Tar Heels take the win, the CCA Championship game race will become much more interesting in the process. So who wins this showdown at Chapel Hill? Let’s take a closer look at the scenarios to follow before making expert choices both directly and against the spread.
Storylines
Our Lady: Now that we’ve reached the final weeks of the season, the possibility of what could be Notre Dame’s first and only conference championship is starting to be finalized. The Irish are two wins away from securing a place in the ACC Championship game and given their recent form there is certainly a possibility they could win the rematch against Clemson, even with Trevor Lawrence in the lineup for the Tigers. But even though Notre Dame isn’t in a position to win that game in Charlotte, she’s still looking at the profile that could be good enough to make the college football playoffs, giving the ACC two playoff teams for the first time. and scoring just the second time a conference has made up half of the playoff squad. None of this is possible without the ACC and Notre Dame coming to an agreement on how to handle the 2020 season, and it increasingly sounds like the ‘win-win’ commissioner John Swofford describes each. time he discusses the relationship between league and partial football member.
North Carolina: There’s a real feeling in the schedule that Friday’s game against Notre Dame is a chance to finish the job after being just short in a thwarted bid against Clemson in 2019. The Tar Heels had the perfect game plan to limit the Tigers offense and Sam Howell led a decisive touchdown in the closing minutes, only to be stopped short on what was a potentially two-point winning try and lose by one point. Mack Brown’s ambitious decision to go there at that time was a statement of intent on how he viewed the Tar Heels in relation to the top teams in the ACC, and I would expect a plan to equally aggressive attack when aiming against the Irish in 2020.
Information display
Dated: Friday November 27 | Time, 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Kenan Memorial Stadium – Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV: ABC | Direct: fuboTV (Try for free)
Notre Dame vs North Carolina prediction, pick
If this game gets a little loose and the Tar Heels can turn it into a shootout, I love their chances of covering up the possibility of an outright upheaval. Put simply, if the game turns into a back-and-forth affair, which quarterback do you trust to lead touchdowns in the fourth quarter? Howell has been one of college football’s elite quarterbacks for the past two years, and the ability to generate explosive plays in the passing game means no lead is secure. Even though it’s Howell kicking the backdoor on a furious late charge that’s missing 3 or 4 points (another likely scenario), we’re still taking cover with that favorable number. Picks: North Carolina (+4.5)
What college football picks can you confidently make in Week 13? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread – all from a proven computer model that has grossed over $ 3,600 in profit over the past four seasons and up – and find out.
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