The North Carolina Tar Heels likely are one of the most improved Power Five programs in the country. Recent misfortune derailed their once-promising season, but they have a chance to get back on track when they visit the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday night. Kickoff from Heinz Field in the nationally-televised ACC showcase is set for 8 p.m. ET. UNC (4-5, 3-3) has lost three of its last four games and needs two more wins to receive a bowl bid. The Tar Heels have won six straight in the series against Pitt, including a 38-35 home victory last season. The Panthers (6-3, 3-2) still have an outside shot at the ACC Coastal Division title, and they must win all their remaining games to have a chance. The Panthers are four-point favorites, off a half-point from the opener, and the over-under for total points scored is 49.5 in the latest UNC vs. Pitt odds. Before making your Pitt vs. UNC picks, see what SportsLine expert Emory Hunt has to say.
The football analyst is enjoying another strong year for SportsLine members and enters this week with an incredible 79-45 record on his college football picks for the 2019 season, returning a whopping profit of $3,034 to his followers. Moreover, he has had an uncanny sense for projecting the fortunes of these ACC programs. Over the past two seasons, Hunt has posted a sterling 13-1 record on spread picks involving the Tar Heels or Panthers.
For example, two weeks ago Hunt told SportsLine members that Virginia (+2.5) would get the best of North Carolina in a game that went down to the wire. The Cavaliers held the Tar Heels scoreless in the fourth quarter to emerge with a 38-31 victory. Hunt's followers booked another winner, and anyone who has consistently followed him is way up. Now, Hunt has zeroed in on North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh from every angle and released another confident point-spread selection that he's only sharing over at SportsLine.
Hunt knows the Panthers historically have been noted for their power run game, with recent standouts like current Pittsburgh Steeler James Conner and Qadree Ollison, who was drafted in the fifth round by the Atlanta Falcons in April, leading the way. Without an experienced returning rusher, they have dropped to No. 109 in the country on the ground, but have evolved with a more balanced offense.
Junior Kenny Pickett, whose first career start came in a season-ending upset of previously unbeaten Miami two seasons ago, has emerged as one of the ACC's more reliable signal-callers. He has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,952 yards and nine touchdowns. He threw for a season-372 yards in a 17-10 loss against rival Penn State. Maurice Ffrench has an ACC-best 75 receptions for 606 yards and three touchdowns.
Still, a motivated Pittsburgh team is far from assured of covering the Pitt vs. North Carolina spread against a Tar Heels squad that has dominated this rivalry.
The Tar Heels have dominated this rivalry, with a 10-3 overall mark and six straight victories. All six wins have come by single-digits, including last year's 38-35 victory. Mack Brown won 10 games three times in his first stint in Chapel Hill and led the Tar Heels to six consecutive bowl games. He can do it a seventh time if they manage two more wins.
The Tar Heels are just a few plays away from a title-contending season of their own. All of North Carolina's losses are by seven points or fewer, which includes a 21-20 defeat to top-ranked Clemson. Its recent stretch includes a 43-41, six-overtime loss at Virginia Tech and the defeat to Virginia sandwiched around a 20-17 victory over rival Duke.
Hunt has broken down this matchup and identified the critical factor that has him all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins UNC vs. Pitt? And what critical factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh spread you should jump on Thursday, all from the seasoned expert who has netted more than $3,000 to his followers this season, and find out.
