No. 1 Miami faces an interesting test in Week 9.
The Hurricanes are robust 14.5-point road favorites against Bill Belichick’s UNC Tar Heels, but there are plenty of layers to this handicap.
Could the Tar Heels give the Hurricanes a real scare on Halloween?
Miami vs. UNC odds, prediction
The modern era of college football is defined by inconsistency.
The pool of talent, both on the field and on the sidelines, is so spread out that it’s becoming more and more rare for a team to just march in a straight line.
North Carolina embodies the disorder.
The Tar Heels have had some really solid performances in 2026.
They defeated TCU in Ireland in the season-opener, put a scare into Notre Dame, and collected wins over Duke and Pittsburgh on the road.
There have been some head-scratching losses, most notably to Syracuse last week too.
But overall, UNC looks like an improved outfit over where it was in Belichick’s first campaign. Perhaps the noise quieting down, well, sort of, has helped, but there’s no denying that things are moving in the right direction, even if it’s happening slower than expected.
And there are a couple of reasons to believe that UNC can keep things respectable against No. 1 Miami on Saturday night.
Miami’s passing attack is elite, but the strength of this Tar Heels’ defense is a secondary that does a good job of keeping a lid on things. The Tar Heels are 33rd in yards allowed per pass this season, and they rank among the best teams in the ACC at limiting explosive plays.
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Keeping that form will be imperative, as UNC’s offense is not suited to keep up with the Canes in a shootout. That said, the Hurricanes have started to show some cracks defensively, allowing 58 points to Florida State and Pitt in their last two games.
The other signal pointing to UNC here is the schedule situation. Miami is in a classic trap spot with a season-defining trip to Notre Dame on deck.
Don’t be surprised if the pesky Tar Heels give the Canes a jolt Saturday.
The Play: UNC +14.5 (-110, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
